Mythica

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

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 . . .

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.

'Bold and intellectually thrilling . . . blending history and science, rigorous scholarship and dazzling feats of imagination.' TOM HOLLAND, historian and co-host of 'The Rest is History' podcast

'Absolutely blew me away . . . rich, evocative and original work . . . this book is quite wonderful.' ELODIE HARPER, author of The Wolf Den

'Offers a dazzling new way of thinking about the ancient world . . . a wonderful, beautifully written and important book.' DAN JONES, author of Henry V

'A book the world has been waiting for . . . I loved it.' BETTANY HUGHES, author of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

© Emily Hauser 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

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
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
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
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
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
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 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

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