Posted on 02/12/2022 2:21:25 PM PST by nickcarraway
From gender changing priests to coin hoards owned by LGBT+ emperors - archaeological finds suggest that Wales' ancient history could be filled with LGBT+ life
When you think of ancient Wales, your mind probably doesn't jump to LGBT+ history.
However, a series of archaeological finds point to a very different look at our history. With evidence of gender-variant priests and emperors, our Welsh history could be filled with more LGBT+ figures than we initially thought.
These discoveries formed part of a series of talks exploring LGBT+ history and the evidence that can be found in Wales by independent researcher, Dr Alessandro Ceccarelli, to mark LGBT+ History Month.
Using items from National Museum Wales collections, Dr Ceccarelli - an Affiliated Scholar at the University of Cambridge but based in Cardiff - also described the little-known stories behind items celebrating LGBT+ figures found across Wales, including items from Caerleon, Llanvaches and the Vale of Glamorgan.
One find from Wales sheds light on the followers of Greek-Roman god Attis, which mythology remembers as the “consort” of the mother goddess and harvest goddess Cybele. Attis was known as both a “male” and “female” god in certain texts and had a religious following of “Galli” priests. They were known as “gender-variant” priests, sometimes depicted as neither man or woman. Some of their depictions represent them wearing clothes and ornaments often associated with femininity in Ancient Rome, wearing makeup and changing their hair colour.
The head of a sculpture found in Caerleon, near Newport, points to the existence of the cult of Attis, and potentially Galli priests in ancient Wales too. The sculpture depicts the face framed by curly hair and crowned by a cone-shaped cap.
Dr Ceccarelli said: “Archaeology can tell us about sexual orientations and gender identities in ancient Wales - and further afield - and about experiences that are still unexplored. It is not just modern history that can tell us about the lives and experiences of LGBT+ people.
“Archaeological evidence allows us to travel back in time for thousands of years, rediscovering ancient, diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. However, it is not an easy journey, as it is often really fragmented.
“But where it exists, it really shines a light on the diverse stories of people who lived in ancient societies, and would sound very familiar to those who identify as LGBT+ today.
“But similar statues, altars to Cybele, and evidence for their cults were not exclusive of Wales, as they were also found across the UK. For instance, archaeological evidence of this cult was found in Chesters Roman Fort and Corbridge, on Hadrian’s Wall, and in Catterick in North Yorkshire.
"So we can see that there was relatively widespread knowledge of individuals with diverse gender identities and expressions in Wales and Britain at least as old as the early centuries CE. It is a notion of gender that many modern people would now relate with transgender and non-binary.”
A hoard of more than 300 coins was found in Sully Moors in the Vale of Glamorgan in the late 19th Century, which shows Emperor Elagabalus. Elagabalus was reported to be sometimes referred to as a man, but historians also wrote that they identified as, and asked to be regarded as, a woman. They used to shave their body hair, wear make-up and wigs, and rejected being called a lord. Other evidence suggests that they asked physicians to change their body, promising them a lot of money to do so. Some details about a relationship with a charioteer called Hierocles are available, and a potential marriage to him.
"These archaeological finds give us a glimpse into untold LGBTQ+ stories and histories that are little-known to people today,” Dr Ceccarelli said.
“History Month is an important reminder that LGBTQ+ people have always existed and that their stories need to be told as much as everyone else’s”.
Yes, the fact that one could only have one child, and the preference for sons no doubt has led to a lot of abortions in recent times, and probably to infanticede of females in the early days of Mao. I think of my mother’s parents who tried 5 times for a son until the sixth was a “success”.
I did not say I agreed with it, I was merely trying to understand the behavior. As for genetal mutilation, do you care about the millions of Muslim female children who are subjected to something just as bad also usually without anesthesia. For a stomach churning view read Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s book Infidel. The horror of this experience led her to flee Islamic countries and religion, and led her younger sister to death. Last I heard she was in the US and sheltered by a Conservative group.
A quote from a book sale site:
“One of today’s most admired and controversial political figures, Ayaan Hirsi Ali burst into international headlines following the murder of Theo van Gogh by an Islamist who threatened that she would be next. She made headlines again when she was stripped of her citizenship and resigned from the Dutch Parliament.”
Hurrah for you! I am rather fond of my wife's parents and their "success." Life is good.
As the quote below points out castration has aa long multicultural history:
“First it is important to put this question into perspective. Castration is genital mutilation. We must be truthful about the entire subject of both male and female genital mutilation.
On that note, Female and Male mutilation of slaves or people is not a Muslim creation. They both existed in other parts of the world before Islam. Eunuchs were found in Greece, Rome, China and other parts of the world before Islam. The word Eunuch comes from Greek words.
Muslims were not the only culture to use, buy and sell eunuchs after Islam came into being. Both Male and Female genital mutilation was a practice recorded in history in the Egyptian Dynasties. Eunuchs to this day exist in India.
The Roman Catholic Church in Europe itself use eunuchs as solo male singers or in choirs and operas. This happened into the 20th century. A recording exists of a eunuch singing from about .
As for Eunuchs and Islam: While it is Haram or against the Koran to castrate anyone, we much not forget the HUGE FACTOR OF MUSLIM DEMAND for castrated male slaves. This demand fueled the supply of eunuchs so castration was done by “others” to these slaves. Then they were sold or transported to the Muslim dominant areas. There is no doubt that the rulers and Caliphs bought and kept eunuchs in their harems. Rich and Wealthy landowners and merchants also bought and sold eunuchs. These worked in their households.”
As for Islamic Castration, the Vatican is also implicated for using castration to creat men with soprano voices: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/aug/14/humanities.highereducation
“New research suggests that the employment of castrati was tolerated by the Vatican as late as 1959, long after other states had banned it as barbaric.” Wow, right around the time I was graduating from college! Of course after naving deprived them of their manhood, it would have been doubly cruel to deprive them of employment.
yea yea I know all that and lived a bit of it. so you are not telling me anything new. Just stop commenting to me please and go away.
Why are hoomosexuals so determined to turn Wales homosexual?
This has as much veracity as the narrative of Jesus being “gay” with all his disciples.
Everyone needs to keep in mind that these are the same people who are chomping at the bit to made sex with younger and younger children mainstream and legal.
Queers always push their own agenda -- no matter how much lying is required...
Ok. Cowpie.
LOL! Road apples!
YEP! Our band wa invited to participate in most Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo parades -- and we got pretty adept at dodging those things while playing and marching...
TXnMA '-)
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