Mythica

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

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 Hera

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

A masterpiece. Emily Hauser . . . awakens in us a sense of wonder as these mythologized women come to life in stories that are woven into the fabric of Homeric poetry . . . shows us Homer in a new light: in a world inhabited by women uneclipsed by men.

GREGORY NAGY, Professor of Classics at Harvard University

‘A timely reminder of how much has been left out of traditional myth and storytelling . . . Hauser has given her readers two gifts: first, by helping us listen carefully to the details already present in ancient myths, she helps us learn to read the past better; second, by recuperating the story lives of so many famous characters, she restores fullness to our own engagement with the past.

JOEL CHRISTENSEN, Professor of Classical Studies at Brandeis University

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

Someone once wrote that the world of Homer is immortal precisely because it never existed - except in the poetic imagination: a thought that award-winning classicist and novelist Dr Emily Hauser exploits and explores brilliantly in her 18 character-sketches of ancient females both divine and human, both Greek and non-Greek . . . she writes her women subjects back in to a dominantly masculinist literary and visual tradition.

PAUL CARTLEDGE, Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture, Cambridge University

The rare book that will not only deepen your understanding of Homer, but open your mind to an entirely new, richer way of reading ancient epic, weaving together literature, art, archaeology, history, and imagination. Hauser uses her gifts as both a scholar and a novelist to bring the past to life and reanimate both ancient and interior landscapes. In the silent negative space between the heroes' journeys, she uncovers and gives voice to the real and mythic women of antiquity and many twentieth-century female scholars whose tireless work has often been forgotten.

DONNA ZUCKERBERG, author of Not All Dead White Men

A dazzling and compassionate achievement. Emily Hauser’s book . . . uses archaeology old and new to throw brilliant light on the world of Homer. Impressively researched and beautifully written, this account is dense but never dry, and full of astonishing revelations. Hauser has woven a vibrant tapestry of colour, scent, sound and texture: the best kind of scholarship. It deserves a place on every school and university bookshelf as well as in the home of anyone who loves mythology.

CAROLINE LAWRENCE, author of The Roman Mysteries

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

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

A book the world has been waiting for. Reveals the brilliant foundation for the reality of the myths that make all of us . . . I loved it.

BETTANY HUGHES, bestselling author of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Scholarly and witty, curious and lyrical - in Mythica, Emily Hauser offers a dazzling new way of thinking about the ancient world. Blending archaeology, literary criticism and historical detective work, Hauser shows us how to read against the grain of Homer’s epic poems to uncover the female experience of life in the Bronze Age. Mythica is a wonderful, beautifully written and important book.

DAN JONES, bestselling author of Henry V