Bettany Hughes

A noted historian reexamines the issue of the real Helen of Troy by delving into mythology, poetry, and art, and by examining the sparse shards of historical evidence for the possible reality of Helen's existence, tracing the fluid image of Helen from ancient times to the present day. 60,000 first printing.

Goddess, Princess, Whore

Helen of Troy

I should have spaced this out from the last audiobook I listened to because they were pretty similar. I still learned so much from this book, but it covered some of the same info as the “Penelope’s Bones” nonfiction book. That’s part of the reason it’s not a full 4 stars for me.

I appreciate the author’s incredibly thorough exploration of Helen of Troy/Sparta’s story. She covered myths and ancient sources I’d never heard of before. She went off on a couple tangents and the last part of the book didn’t feel like it belonged, discussing where Helen appears in medieval/renaissance literature, especially plays. I understand the point but it slowed down the book for me.

This was very informative and interesting. Especially considering it was published 20 years ago and new archeological evidence has since been uncovered. It still feels current and up to date.

I enjoy learning about the ancient Mediterranean world and origins and explorations of myth.

Amanda

I should have spaced this out from the last audiobook I listened to because they were pretty similar. I still learned so much from this book, but it covered some of the same info as the “Penelope’s Bones” nonfiction book. That’s part of the reason it’s not a full 4 stars for me.

I appreciate the author’s incredibly thorough exploration of Helen of Troy/Sparta’s story. She covered myths and ancient sources I’d never heard of before. She went off on a couple tangents and the last part of the book didn’t feel like it belonged, discussing where Helen appears in medieval/renaissance literature, especially plays. I understand the point but it slowed down the book for me.

This was very informative and interesting. Especially considering it was published 20 years ago and new archeological evidence has since been uncovered. It still feels current and up to date.

I enjoy learning about the ancient Mediterranean world and origins and explorations of myth.

A noted historian reexamines the issue of the real Helen of Troy by delving into mythology, poetry, and art, and by examining the sparse shards of historical evidence for the possible reality of Helen's existence, tracing the fluid image of Helen from ancient times to the present day. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

The Story Behind the Most Beautiful Woman in the World

Anna

Le personnage d’Helen est tout un paradoxe.

As soon as men began to write, they made Helen of Troy their subject; for nearly three thousand years she has been both the embodiment of absolute female beauty and a reminder of the terrible power that beauty can wield. Because of her double marriage to the Greek King Menelaus and the Trojan Prince Paris, Helen was held responsible for both the Trojan War and enduring enmity between East and West. For millennia she has been viewed as an exquisite agent of extermination. But who was she? Helen exists in many guises: a matriarch from the Age of Heroes who ruled over one of the most fertile areas of the Mycenaean world; Helen of Sparta, the focus of a cult which conflated Helen the heroine with a pre-Greek fertility goddess; the home-wrecker of the Iliad; the bitch-whore of Greek tragedy; the pin-up of Romantic artists. Focusing on the 'real' Helen - a flesh-and-blood aristocrat from the Greek Bronze Age - acclaimed historian Bettany Hughes reconstructs the context of life for this elusive pre-historic princess and places her alongside the heroes and heroines of myth and history. Through the eyes of a young Mycenaean woman, Hughes examines the physical, historical and cultural traces that Helen has left on locations in Greece, North Africa and Asia Minor. Vivid and compelling, this remarkable book brilliantly unpacks the facts and myths surrounding one of the most enigmatic and notorious figures of all time.

Helen of Troy Goddess, Princess, Whore

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