3.1 Reflection

In discussions of historical figures, it is imperative to avoid anachronistic assertions which result in misrepresentations of such figures. This is an issue that remains largely un-tackled in non-academic spheres, despite its ability to be easily understood by the layman when discussed in relative terms. As such this blog post elects to explore this issue in relation to the galli, the self-castrated ‘priests’ of Cybele, and what is their frequent conflation with transgender and homosexual identities. The blog post intentionally omits referencing specific articles and academics who employ anachronistic language with the rationale that in a public, non-academic blog this type of specific cross-examination is unnecessary, instead opting to outline tools to identify this type of anachronistic deployment.

Interestingly the academics who do deploy this type of anachronistic language come primarily from the field of queer studies and tend to focus on the galli as a transgender case study. Herein lies the issue: while the galli should not be conflated with modern transgenderism this does not deny the significance they may pose to queer and transgender individuals in reflecting their own experiences. Nor does it erase the middle ground in which they belong, between anachronisms, modern representation and receptions. More recent scholarship conducted primarily by historians pays close attention to anachronistic language and rather discusses the gender and cultural transgression of the galli. Accordingly, the galli are discussed as both rejecting and being rejected by modes of masculinity, positioning them oppositional to normative conditions of Roman manhood and inherently ‘queering’ them.

This phenomenon of anachronistic identification of the galli as transgender, homosexual and other modern identities seems to be receding and being replaced with more nuanced discussions of these figures and their transgressive, or ‘queer’, gender presentation and cultural role.