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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More Patreon Zoom Calls, more podcasts and more thank yous

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I talk about what will happen with the podcast next. Send your questions to thehistoryofbyzantium@gmail.com

This Sunday the 20th July I will be hosting 3 Zoom calls for Patrons at 1, 5 and 9pm UK time. It looks like I will be doing an AMA on Reddit this weekend too. I’ll post the Reddit address on the website as soon as I have it.

If you’d like a History of Byzantium podcast t-shirt to commemorate 13 years of this obscure hobby of yours then go to etsy.com/shop/ImperialWares

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