Child sexual abuse: Historical cases in the Byzantine empire (324-1453 AD)

Objective: The aim of this article is the presentation and brief analysis o f some historical cases, unknown in the broader medical bibliography, of ch ild sexual abuse in Byzantine Society (324-1453 A.D.). Method: The original texts of the Byzantine historians, chroniclers and ecc lesiastical authors, written in the Greek language, were studied in order t o locate instances of child sexual abuse. Results: Although the punishment provided by the laws and the church for ca ses of child sexual abuse were very strict, a number of instances of rapes under cover of premature marriages, even in the imperial families, are reve aled in these texts. Furthermore, cases of child prostitution, pederasty, a nd incest are included in the historical texts and some contemporary author s confirmed the presence of many such cases in all classes of Byzantine soc iety. Conclusion: The research of original Byzantine literature disclosed many in stances of child sexual abuse in all social classes even in the mediaeval B yzantine society which was characterized by strict legal and religious proh ibitions. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.