∎ PDF Helen of Troy Goddess Princess Whore Bettany Hughes Books

Helen of Troy Goddess Princess Whore Bettany Hughes Books

Download As PDF : Helen of Troy Goddess Princess Whore Bettany Hughes Books

Helen of Troy Goddess Princess Whore Bettany Hughes Books

I love antiquities. Helen of Troy is clearly a five. The book is a detailed and provocative study, or was it a journey, of one of mankind's most celebrated, revered, and demonized women. Her biography is a fascinating read. She is an icon, not just of sex-appeal, but also for personal growth and development. She lived through many roles; from being the victim of a kidnapping and sex assault by the legendary Theseus, into a Spartan queen, then a Trojan princess, and back again into her role as queen and ruler of Sparta, always ascending into positions of power, wealth, and respect.
I have two take-aways from the book. First, is the intention to read it again. Second, is the timeline of Helen's life story. She is from prehistory. Assuming that the Trojan War(s) took place between 1275 and 1250 BCE, author Bettany Hughes postulates that Helen's birth was around 1300 BC. Her life preceded the development of the alphabet used by Homer to record her story, by about 500 years.


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Helen of Troy Goddess Princess Whore Bettany Hughes Books Reviews

I love the way the writer approaches her work. Sometimes citing sources, then switching to personal recollections of visiting the locales of her story. She weaves an interesting exploration of an intriguing historical personality...real or not!
This book finally answered my long yearning to lean and know about Helen of Troy/Sparta and the Trojan Horse episode. A wonderful Read.
The book was shipped to me quickly. This is a really good book with great information.
Bettany Hughes has become one of my favorite writers. (She also wrote a wonderful book on Socrates.) This book gives fascinating information surrounding the story of Helen of Troy, the history and the literature that we have as resources, the places that Helen is supposed to have visited...if you read it immediately after reading The Iliad you will enjoy it even more.
This is a wonderful work of history, well-conceived and beautifully written. Ms. Hughes deftly mixes classical history/mythology with contemporary historical research about Aegean Bronze Age culture. She weaves the two together to sequentially tell the 'story' of Helen in a way that respects the tentative nature of the truths of the tale while embedding it in the fascinating real historical context of 13th Century BCE Bronze Age Mycenean culture. The writing is superb. Fascinating read.
I have a confession to make I am developing a Bettany Hughes crush.

I first read her account of the life of Socrates, The Hemlock Cup, when it first came out. I was initially skeptical about her methodology she surveys the literature while visiting contemporary sites, commenting on museum pieces and contemporary observations of sites -- wasn't this going a little too far? But it worked. She won me over with her convincing account of Socrates.

She's done the same with Helen of Troy. Of course, she can't answer the nagging questions of the literalists -- was there really a Trojan War? was it really about a woman? where is Helen buried? did she really exist? But she paints a convincing portrait of what Helen's life would have been like, and why she was so much more than merely beautiful, and her account of who Helen became throughout history is simply good fun to read.

I don't know if Ms. Hughes reads these reviews If she does, I am begging her to turn her talents to the life of Jesus. Yes, there are more books than can be read in a lifetime on his life and times. But few would be done with the imagination and talent Ms. Hughes brings to her craft.
Extremely well done, sheds a lot of light on the TRUE story of Helen, as opposed to the impossible, mercurial and "war starting" woman painted by Homer. (When have men ever needed an excuse to start wars, and how did Helen fall victim to Homer's black balling?) Love the history, love the research, love Ms Hughes' fascination and reverence for the subject. It is time we all start learning the truth about Helen of Troy, this well written and engaging book is a fantastic place to start
I love antiquities. Helen of Troy is clearly a five. The book is a detailed and provocative study, or was it a journey, of one of mankind's most celebrated, revered, and demonized women. Her biography is a fascinating read. She is an icon, not just of sex-appeal, but also for personal growth and development. She lived through many roles; from being the victim of a kidnapping and sex assault by the legendary Theseus, into a Spartan queen, then a Trojan princess, and back again into her role as queen and ruler of Sparta, always ascending into positions of power, wealth, and respect.
I have two take-aways from the book. First, is the intention to read it again. Second, is the timeline of Helen's life story. She is from prehistory. Assuming that the Trojan War(s) took place between 1275 and 1250 BCE, author Bettany Hughes postulates that Helen's birth was around 1300 BC. Her life preceded the development of the alphabet used by Homer to record her story, by about 500 years.