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The Conversation
The Conversation
Chaya Kasif, PhD Candidate; Assyriologist, Macquarie University

Not just ‘eunuchs’ or sex workers: in ancient Mesopotamia, gender-diverse people held positions of power

Mesopotamia Iraq King Charles III University of Chicago Wikimedia
An 8th century BCE gypsum relief from modern-day Iraq depicts a king and his chief ša rēši. Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago. OIM A7366. Daderot/Wikimedia Commons/Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago. OIM A7366

Today, trans people face politicisation of their lives and vilification from politicians, media and parts of broader society.

But in some of history’s earliest civilisations, gender-diverse people were recognised and understood in a wholly different way.

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