Award-winning classicist, ancient historian and author Emily Hauser takes readers on an epic journey through the latest archaeological discoveries and DNA secrets of the Aegean Bronze Age, as she uncovers the astonishing true story of the real women behind ancient Greece's greatest legends - and the real heroes of those ancient epics, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
Did you love Madeline Miller's Circe? Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls? Jennifer Saint's Elektra? Natalie Haynes' A Thousand Ships?
But did you ever wonder who the real women behind the myths of the Trojan War were?
Now award-winning classicist and historian Emily Hauser takes readers on an epic journey to uncover the astonishing true story of the real women behind ancient Greece's greatest legends - and the real heroes of those ancient epics, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
Because, contrary to perceptions built up over three millennia, ancient history is not all about men - and it's not only men's stories that deserve to be told . . .
In Mythica Emily Hauser tells, for the first time, the extraordinary stories of the real women behind some of the western world's greatest legends. Following in their footsteps, digging into the history behind Homer's epic poems, piecing together evidence from the original texts, recent astonishing archaeological finds and the latest DNA studies, she reveals who these women - queens, mothers, warriors, slaves - were, how they lived, and how history has (or has not - until now) remembered them.
A riveting new history of the Bronze Age Aegean and a journey through Homer's epics charted entirely by women - from Helen of Troy, Briseis, Cassandra and Aphrodite to Circe, Athena, Hera, Calypso and Penelope - Mythica is a ground-breaking reassessment of the reality behind the often-mythologized women of Greece's greatest epics, and of the ancient world itself as we learn ever more about it.
About the Author
Born in Brighton and brought up in Suffolk, EMILY HAUSER studied Classics at Cambridge, where she was taught by Mary Beard. She completed a PhD at Yale University, was a Junior Fellow at Harvard University and is now Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at Exeter University. For the Most Beautiful - the first book in the Golden Apple trilogy - was her debut novel and retells the story of the siege of Troy. Her second, For the Winner, is a reimagining of the myth of Atalanta and the legend of Jason, the Argonauts and the search for the Golden Fleece. The final book - For the Immortal - brings to brilliant life the story of the legendary Amazons and their queen, Hippolyta, and one of the ancient world's most celebrated heroes, Hercules.
Industry Reviews
A bold and intellectually-thrilling book, blending history and science, rigorous scholarship and dazzling feats of imagination. -- TOM HOLLAND, bestselling historian and co-host of The Rest is History podcast
This book is one of the most thought provoking I have read in a very long time . . . it absolutely blew me away. It is such a rich, evocative and original work . . . it's just breathtaking . . . If you are interested in the ancient world I truly cannot recommend Mythica highly enough. I would go so far as to say you HAVE to read it - this book is quite wonderful. * ELODIE HARPER, bestselling author of The Wolf Den *
From the shadowy recesses of myth and epic poetry, step forth a host of women who once lived: mothers, daughters, wives, weavers, witches, slaves, queens and warriors. These women surface in Homer's stories, but Dr Hauser puts flesh on their bones, finding a window to the past that allows us to imagine the true depth and breadth of their experiences . . . a stirring, enlightening and fascinating exploration. -- JENNIFER SAINT, bestselling author of Ariadne and Hera
Vividly brings the women of the Bronze Age to life, with a winning combination of sparkling, energetic writing and meticulous research into the archaeology of the time. -- TIM WHITMARSH, Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge and author of Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World
A fascinating and empowering exploration of women in mythology. Hauser guides us on an epic journey through the Homeric world, drawing on her expert knowledge to challenge the male-dominated voices of the past and reclaim women's rightful place in history. -- ROSIE HEWLETT, bestselling author of Medea
Emily Hauser spotlights the fundamental contradiction in ancient epic: the stories rely on female protagonists but rarely put them centre stage to tell their stories in their own words. This book offers a brilliant riposte to that millennia-old dilemma . . . their stories are fascinating, enthralling and insightful - and help to recolour the world of epic for us for good! -- MICHAEL SCOTT, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Warwick University and author of X Marks the Spot
