To mark the 1000th anniversary of his death we revisit the bachelorhood of Basil II.

My guest is Mark Masterson — until recently Associate Professor of Classics at Victoria University of Wellington (retired 2025). His work explores masculinity, desire, and male social bonds in the Roman world.

In his book Between Byzantine Men he discusses an oration written in Basil's day which may shed light on his intimate life.

Find out more about Professor Mark Masterson here and check out his two books on male relationships within the Roman world.

Between Byzantine Men: Desire, Homosociality, and Brotherhood in the Medieval Empire

Routledge (2022)

Man to Man: Desire, Homosociality and Authority in Late-Roman Manhood

The Ohio State University Press. (2014)

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