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Venus and Aphrodite: History of a Goddess
Through ancient art, evocative myth, exciting archaeological revelations and philosophical explorations Bettany Hughes shows why this immortal goddess endures through to the 21st century and what her journey through time reveals about what matters to us as humans.
Charting Venus' origins in powerful ancient deities, Bettany demonstrates that Venus is far more complex than first meets the eye. Beginning in Cyprus, the goddess' mythical birthplace, Bettany decodes Venus' relationship to the Greek goddess Aphrodite and, in turn, Aphrodite's mixed-up origins both as a Cypriot spirit of fertility and procreation - but also as a descendant of the prehistoric war goddesses of the Near and Middle East, Ishtar, Inanna and Astarte.
On a voyage of discovery to reveal the truth behind Venus, Hughes reveals how this mythological figure is so much more than nudity, romance and sex.
It is the both the remarkable story of one of antiquity's most potent forces and the story of human desire - how it transforms who we are and how we behave.
Charting Venus' origins in powerful ancient deities, Bettany demonstrates that Venus is far more complex than first meets the eye. Beginning in Cyprus, the goddess' mythical birthplace, Bettany decodes Venus' relationship to the Greek goddess Aphrodite and, in turn, Aphrodite's mixed-up origins both as a Cypriot spirit of fertility and procreation - but also as a descendant of the prehistoric war goddesses of the Near and Middle East, Ishtar, Inanna and Astarte.
On a voyage of discovery to reveal the truth behind Venus, Hughes reveals how this mythological figure is so much more than nudity, romance and sex.
It is the both the remarkable story of one of antiquity's most potent forces and the story of human desire - how it transforms who we are and how we behave.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 14, 2019
404 people are currently reading
15410 people want to read
About the author
Bettany Hughes
17 books723 followersBettany Hughes is an English historian, author and broadcaster. Her speciality is classical history.
Bettany grew up in West London with her brother, the cricketer Simon Hughes. Her parents were in the theatre: she learnt early the importance and delight of sharing thoughts and ideas with a wider public. Bettany won a scholarship to read Ancient and Modern History at Oxford University and then continued her post-graduate research while travelling through the Balkans and Asia Minor. In recognition of her contribution to research, she has been awarded a Research Fellowship at King's London.
Bettany lectures throughout the world. She has been invited to universities in the US, Australia, Germany, Turkey and Holland to speak on subjects as diverse as Helen of Troy and the origins of female 'Sophia' to concepts of Time in the Islamic world. She considers her work in the lecture hall and seminar room amongst the most important, and rewarding she does.
Bettany grew up in West London with her brother, the cricketer Simon Hughes. Her parents were in the theatre: she learnt early the importance and delight of sharing thoughts and ideas with a wider public. Bettany won a scholarship to read Ancient and Modern History at Oxford University and then continued her post-graduate research while travelling through the Balkans and Asia Minor. In recognition of her contribution to research, she has been awarded a Research Fellowship at King's London.
Bettany lectures throughout the world. She has been invited to universities in the US, Australia, Germany, Turkey and Holland to speak on subjects as diverse as Helen of Troy and the origins of female 'Sophia' to concepts of Time in the Islamic world. She considers her work in the lecture hall and seminar room amongst the most important, and rewarding she does.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 530 reviews
October 16, 2020
SHORT AND SOMEWHAT CURSORY 'BIOGRAPHY' OF APHRODITE
One the one hand I really liked that this was a short book. Often times I want to read non-fiction, but get tired halfway through because of the sheer length. It was nice to get a short non-fiction book for once. On the other hand, it did leave some things to be desired because of the length. So I am of two minds. Still, overall, it was a good, informative read.
👍 What I Liked 👍
Evolution: When I have read other books about mythology or gods and goddess, the author often dedicates a lot of time and space to talking about the persona and the worship of the goddess in question. I really liked that this was not the focus of this book. This book focused more on her evolution over time and her geographical travels. I liked that angle.
Writing: The writing was easy to get into and the tone was more conversational than scholarly.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Superficial: Because of the length of the book, some of the points did seem a little superficial and could have done with a bit more elaboration.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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Blog Post: 15 Books to Read if You Love Jane Austen
One the one hand I really liked that this was a short book. Often times I want to read non-fiction, but get tired halfway through because of the sheer length. It was nice to get a short non-fiction book for once. On the other hand, it did leave some things to be desired because of the length. So I am of two minds. Still, overall, it was a good, informative read.
👍 What I Liked 👍
Evolution: When I have read other books about mythology or gods and goddess, the author often dedicates a lot of time and space to talking about the persona and the worship of the goddess in question. I really liked that this was not the focus of this book. This book focused more on her evolution over time and her geographical travels. I liked that angle.
Writing: The writing was easy to get into and the tone was more conversational than scholarly.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Superficial: Because of the length of the book, some of the points did seem a little superficial and could have done with a bit more elaboration.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Follow me for more book loving content!
Blog ✨ Facebook ✨ Instagram ✨ Twitter
Blog Post: 15 Books to Read if You Love Jane Austen
January 8, 2021
This is a biography and history of the goddess Aphrodite/Venus running through ancient history to the modern day. It is a surprisingly brief tome and consequently there are times when it feels a little thin or brief. It would have benefited from more detailed analysis. It reads easily but it felt a little superficial at times. There are plenty of brief anecdotes sometimes loosely linked together. Thought provoking statements are not always furnished with arguments.
There are though plenty of interesting historical facts. There is information about Enheduanna, the first named female author in history, describing Inanna, an early version of Aphrodite:
Lady of blazing dominion
clad in dread
riding on fire-red power
flood-storm-hurricane adorned
battle planner
foe smasher
It’s all pretty warlike and the wildness of war clearly took female form as well. Enheduanna also said “you can turn man into woman, woman into man”. The chapter on sexuality again contains interesting information, but its brevity leads to a certain muddling of terms.
One of the pluses is the amount of art and artefacts pictured charting the development of Aphrodite as she gradually changes and becomes part of the Christian tradition as Eve and the Virgin Mary. The changing role of Aphrodite also mirrors the changing role and perception of women.
All in all a mixed bag, perhaps most useful as an introduction. There are interesting facts and references for further reading, but I was a bit underwhelmed.
There are though plenty of interesting historical facts. There is information about Enheduanna, the first named female author in history, describing Inanna, an early version of Aphrodite:
Lady of blazing dominion
clad in dread
riding on fire-red power
flood-storm-hurricane adorned
battle planner
foe smasher
It’s all pretty warlike and the wildness of war clearly took female form as well. Enheduanna also said “you can turn man into woman, woman into man”. The chapter on sexuality again contains interesting information, but its brevity leads to a certain muddling of terms.
One of the pluses is the amount of art and artefacts pictured charting the development of Aphrodite as she gradually changes and becomes part of the Christian tradition as Eve and the Virgin Mary. The changing role of Aphrodite also mirrors the changing role and perception of women.
All in all a mixed bag, perhaps most useful as an introduction. There are interesting facts and references for further reading, but I was a bit underwhelmed.
Read
September 13, 2021Intriguing - but slight and somewhat nebulous - cultural history of the goddess(es), clocking in at only three hours on audio, and with a great deal of white space in the paperback I read.
It doesn't have the level of rigour I'd expect and hope for from an author who's a visiting research fellow at a major UK university, even if they are also a TV presenter. There is some referencing (of original Classical texts) and decent history, whilst it also periodically breaks into semi-mystical free associations, and speculative connections the text doesn't convince me that Hughes has the specialist authority to make: more the sort of thing I'd have expected from the sensible end of neopagan publishing, such as the now-defunct Capall Bann. But as Prof. Ronald Hutton has shown in his brilliant work on pagan topics, academic stringency and personal sympathy with your subject do not have to be mutually exclusive. Though, in Hughes' associative style, there is at least as much influence from classic second-wave feminist texts as there is from anything religious.
Hughes begins with a well-drawn parallel between the brutal Greek myth of Aphrodite's birth and the cultural ferment from which she emerged - origins which might be offputting, and both so far from her aesthetically pleasing portrayals from the Renaissance onwards. Shifting from Ancient Cypriot hermaphroditic fertility figures to the Babylonian and Mesopotamian sex-and-war goddesses Inanna, Ishtar and Astarte, with several reminders of how bloodlust and lust were intermingled in these early civilisations, and they, and Aphrodite herself would have been considered the patron of teenage sex slaves captured in war, and were part of a world in which it was quite usual for twelve year olds to be married off. Yet also of mixing, melting-pot, forces of emotion, culture and art which created civilisation as we know it. Some primitive portrayals of Aphrodite survived into Roman times, such as a primitive Cypriot megalith commented on disdainfully by Tacitus - and her martial aspects (obscure today) were still known to and honoured by the Romans, including Caesar.
Though it was under Imperial Rome, from Augustus onwards, when the taming and aestheticisation of Venus became increasingly apparent. Already some Greek statues had become more coy in their poses. In the later chapters chronology becomes more blurred, switching back and forth between Classical and Christian-era parallels, sometimes to useful effect, though a more chronological story can be teased out. Such as when early Christian sites were, for a while, dedicated to Venus after being repossessed by Roman pagans; but as Christianisation gained pace, the popularity of Venus was seen as a particular threat and her sites were often used for Christian churches - and her cult was eventually sublimated into the cult of the Virgin Mary, the ide of Mary's girdle as a relic one of the strongest indicators. And this all leads, eventually to the rebirth of Venus in the Renaissance, who would become a beautiful and literally armless art meme circa 1500-2000.
Along the way, many artworks are described, and not all the most intriguing ones are shown in the illustrations - a puzzling frustration, but perhaps down to rights issues? This, though, adds to the feeling of a book that may still be in draft, or that was rushed. In the acknowledgements, Hughes says she had been fascinated by Venus for decades - and the book feels like the sort of thing written up in a hurry about a topic one knows well but has rarely had to treat formally, with insufficient referencing and explanation for an outside audience because the connections are so obvious to you, the writer, after years of reading. It's all too typical that the acknowledgements also contain a wonderful snippet of info that should have been integrated elsewhere: about a phenomenon in the sea off Cyprus, of columns of water that might have inspired the myth of Aphrodite's birth.
I bought this book because finding it felt like synchronicity (I hadn't previously heard of it) - another reason I may have expected more. Yes, the book is less substantial than I assumed it might be from its presentation, publisher and author. However I still learned, or was reminded of quite a bit, it was absolutely a worthwhile read and I'm glad it appeared. The cover is appropriately beautiful too; its UK version, with stylised golden girdle, shells, and waves eschews bodily objectification in a feminist-friendly design. I would welcome a series of similar short books on ancient deities, from reputable popular historians, or academics writing for a general audience, if only a big publisher would produce such a thing.
It doesn't have the level of rigour I'd expect and hope for from an author who's a visiting research fellow at a major UK university, even if they are also a TV presenter. There is some referencing (of original Classical texts) and decent history, whilst it also periodically breaks into semi-mystical free associations, and speculative connections the text doesn't convince me that Hughes has the specialist authority to make: more the sort of thing I'd have expected from the sensible end of neopagan publishing, such as the now-defunct Capall Bann. But as Prof. Ronald Hutton has shown in his brilliant work on pagan topics, academic stringency and personal sympathy with your subject do not have to be mutually exclusive. Though, in Hughes' associative style, there is at least as much influence from classic second-wave feminist texts as there is from anything religious.
Hughes begins with a well-drawn parallel between the brutal Greek myth of Aphrodite's birth and the cultural ferment from which she emerged - origins which might be offputting, and both so far from her aesthetically pleasing portrayals from the Renaissance onwards. Shifting from Ancient Cypriot hermaphroditic fertility figures to the Babylonian and Mesopotamian sex-and-war goddesses Inanna, Ishtar and Astarte, with several reminders of how bloodlust and lust were intermingled in these early civilisations, and they, and Aphrodite herself would have been considered the patron of teenage sex slaves captured in war, and were part of a world in which it was quite usual for twelve year olds to be married off. Yet also of mixing, melting-pot, forces of emotion, culture and art which created civilisation as we know it. Some primitive portrayals of Aphrodite survived into Roman times, such as a primitive Cypriot megalith commented on disdainfully by Tacitus - and her martial aspects (obscure today) were still known to and honoured by the Romans, including Caesar.
Though it was under Imperial Rome, from Augustus onwards, when the taming and aestheticisation of Venus became increasingly apparent. Already some Greek statues had become more coy in their poses. In the later chapters chronology becomes more blurred, switching back and forth between Classical and Christian-era parallels, sometimes to useful effect, though a more chronological story can be teased out. Such as when early Christian sites were, for a while, dedicated to Venus after being repossessed by Roman pagans; but as Christianisation gained pace, the popularity of Venus was seen as a particular threat and her sites were often used for Christian churches - and her cult was eventually sublimated into the cult of the Virgin Mary, the ide of Mary's girdle as a relic one of the strongest indicators. And this all leads, eventually to the rebirth of Venus in the Renaissance, who would become a beautiful and literally armless art meme circa 1500-2000.
Along the way, many artworks are described, and not all the most intriguing ones are shown in the illustrations - a puzzling frustration, but perhaps down to rights issues? This, though, adds to the feeling of a book that may still be in draft, or that was rushed. In the acknowledgements, Hughes says she had been fascinated by Venus for decades - and the book feels like the sort of thing written up in a hurry about a topic one knows well but has rarely had to treat formally, with insufficient referencing and explanation for an outside audience because the connections are so obvious to you, the writer, after years of reading. It's all too typical that the acknowledgements also contain a wonderful snippet of info that should have been integrated elsewhere: about a phenomenon in the sea off Cyprus, of columns of water that might have inspired the myth of Aphrodite's birth.
I bought this book because finding it felt like synchronicity (I hadn't previously heard of it) - another reason I may have expected more. Yes, the book is less substantial than I assumed it might be from its presentation, publisher and author. However I still learned, or was reminded of quite a bit, it was absolutely a worthwhile read and I'm glad it appeared. The cover is appropriately beautiful too; its UK version, with stylised golden girdle, shells, and waves eschews bodily objectification in a feminist-friendly design. I would welcome a series of similar short books on ancient deities, from reputable popular historians, or academics writing for a general audience, if only a big publisher would produce such a thing.
December 28, 2020
Aphrodite/Venus is my favourite Greek/Roman goddess. Well, it is no surprise really considering she is the ruling goddess of my star sign but also because she has always fascinated me. Compared to all the ancient gods and goddesses of Greek/Roman mythology, Aphrodite seems to be a lot more complex and has a lot of layers to her history and personality. For the ancient Greeks she was born from the sea- a symbol of love, desire, sensuality and sexuality. For civilizations before the Greeks and Romans, she exists as a goddess of fertility and harmony and a warrior goddess of war and conflict in the images of Astar and Ishtar. No matter what her image and function has been over the centuries- both idolatry and trivial, Aphrodite still remains an alluring goddess figure and inspiration whether it be art or literature or culture.
Venus and Aphrodite: A Biography of Desire is described as a cultural history of the goddess and a cultural history it is, and one that will not bore you as it is short and interesting.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Perseus Books/Basic Books and the author Bettany Hughes for the e-Arc of the book.
The book was published on 22nd September 2020. I finished reading this book in the first week of October and apologise for sharing a late review.
Venus and Aphrodite: A Biography of Desire is described as a cultural history of the goddess and a cultural history it is, and one that will not bore you as it is short and interesting.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Perseus Books/Basic Books and the author Bettany Hughes for the e-Arc of the book.
The book was published on 22nd September 2020. I finished reading this book in the first week of October and apologise for sharing a late review.
March 21, 2021
Between 4-4.5****
A super easy and engaging read showing the evolution of the beliefs of Aphrodite-Venus.
It shows her possible start as a Goddess inspired by others before her, the beginnings of Aphrodite from Greek myth to Venus in Roman myth, her extent and power through the East and West, her villianization (and women in general) during the rise of strict Christian/catholic faiths. It also chartered the fascination and rebirth of Venus during the Renaissance art and influence in poetry, music and art in general. There was also a glimpse into the continuation of some festivals that still celebrate Aphrodite-Venus in Cyprus.
It was super interesting to uncover that Pompeii loved and celebrated her as their “main” goddess, as well as seeing the recovery of non-binary figurines from antiquity that the people would celebrate and have around their houses, places of worship, towns, etc. Her figure seen as a token of empowerment, as well as beauty, love, sex and passion.
Overall a really fascinating history into a goddess who is sometimes portrayed as “silly” and vilified, to a fully formed empowering creature who was celebrated and worshipped for so much more. This book gave a fully fascinating evolution and chartered the globally wide-spread praise of Aphrodite-Venus.
A super easy and engaging read showing the evolution of the beliefs of Aphrodite-Venus.
It shows her possible start as a Goddess inspired by others before her, the beginnings of Aphrodite from Greek myth to Venus in Roman myth, her extent and power through the East and West, her villianization (and women in general) during the rise of strict Christian/catholic faiths. It also chartered the fascination and rebirth of Venus during the Renaissance art and influence in poetry, music and art in general. There was also a glimpse into the continuation of some festivals that still celebrate Aphrodite-Venus in Cyprus.
It was super interesting to uncover that Pompeii loved and celebrated her as their “main” goddess, as well as seeing the recovery of non-binary figurines from antiquity that the people would celebrate and have around their houses, places of worship, towns, etc. Her figure seen as a token of empowerment, as well as beauty, love, sex and passion.
Overall a really fascinating history into a goddess who is sometimes portrayed as “silly” and vilified, to a fully formed empowering creature who was celebrated and worshipped for so much more. This book gave a fully fascinating evolution and chartered the globally wide-spread praise of Aphrodite-Venus.
May 9, 2020
Well here’s a surprise from Bettany Hughes. Although Aphrodite has been a persistent background theme, particularly in her early work on Helen of Troy, the release of this book took me unawares, and I’ll admit the only reason I didn’t read it straight away was because I thought I would have to set aside a solid chunk of time for it. But unlike Hughes’ previous books, which have been thick, solid tomes of academia, this one is a little lighter and breezier – both in tone and volume. That the audiobook only takes three hours and ten minutes should indicate just how quick of a read this is.
The professionalism is still there, but Hughes picks out very select examples to quickly make her points, rather than launching us into in-depth analyses of mountains of evidence. I can’t help but feel that Hughes specifically wanted this book to be picked up by everyone and to be easy to read even if you have no prior knowledge of ancient Greece or interest in history at all, mirroring the universal appeal of Aphrodite herself. I’ve always enjoyed Hughes’ writing style – at once intelligent and erudite, but also conversational and almost conspiratorial – but that’s a personal preference.
Hughes cuts a broad swathe through a huge span of time, too, taking us from earlier iterations and divinities from distant lands which may have contributed to the evolution of Aphrodite, but also examining the latter day goddess, her treatment by Christianity, Renaissance thinkers, and alternately as a symbol of power, oppression, and then power once more in the modern age.
I’ll admit, as I’ve enjoyed Hughes’ work in the past maybe I would have liked another rich tome to sink my teeth into, but I’ll happily take this.
8 out of 10
September 4, 2023
Ако желите да читате праву научну литературу која се бави историјом ове богиње, онда не препоручујем ову књигу, јер је она више за оне који тек крећу да се баве поменутом тематиком. За оне који су већ упућени у митологију, први део остварења не доноси ништа спектакуларно, док се у другом делу отварају занимљива питања и препричавају мање познате, локалне историјске анегдоте, а можете видети и како се Венера/Афродита претапа у савремену поп културу. Због тога и због корисних и велелепних илустрација које су постављ��не баш тамо где треба, дајем 4, а не 3 звездице. А верујем да заслужује само 3, због неких недостатака: прекратка је, не садржи детаљно наведене изворе и боли ме једна реченица у којој се Афродита/Венера пореди с Богородицом. Стил писања је и довољно научни и довољно сликовит. Допада ми се како је ауторка убацивала помало ,,дневничке" описе, дајући нам тако један призор који нераскидиво повезује прошлост, садашњост и будућност. Да је сачекала још неколико година и проширила књигу, па тек онда објавила, верујем да би била право мало благо.
March 8, 2021
Even if there were things in here that I was already familiar with and I wish others were explored more in-depth, the author was such a lovely company to have on the page. This was a fun read!
⇝ 3.5 stars
⇝ 3.5 stars
July 9, 2020
Three stars - I liked it.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book to read!
We are all familiar with the Greek myth about Aphrodite' s birth, a much violent act — Kronos throwing his father' s genitals in the sea. It might seem paradoxical, at first, that after such an act was born the goddess of Love, Beauty and Desire, but after all, pain and destruction always accompany those, very much like the Horai accompanying Aphrodite when she came out of the sea on the island of Cyprus.
Hughes takes a look at how a female deity, combining the opposite and yet complimentary characteristic of war and love, both springing from desire, be it Inanna, Ishtar or Astarte, took shape in the Middle East, at a very tumultuous, and vitaly important for the birth of the first civilizations, period. Her focus is mostly on Phoenician Astarte, as the most similar to Aphrodite-Venus.
As it is known, not only food, building materials, luxury items and etc. were exchanged between traders in prehistoric times, but also ideas. And indeed the phoenicians were pioneers in the area of long-distance (and not-so-long distance) trade, so it comes natural to suggest that their portrayal of a love-and-hate goddess would be the one to influence the newly arising Mediterranean civilizations and their forming cultures. Of course, Cyprus with its abundance of copper, was a highly preferred client for trade.
At the point of arrival of the idea of Astarte on Cyprus, there were already established cults, Hughes starts her work with what is left of a Chalcholitic fertility cult — stone intersex figurines, abundant in quantities, found near what is thought to have been birthing centers. After this cult lost its influence, another began, headed by a wanassa (local priestess/goddess/queen), in which central role was played by the production and trade of perfumes.
For a long time this wanassa lacked a name, so how did it adopt that of Aphrodite? As Hughes finds out, it is quite impossible to tell. We are only (almost) certain that the Cypriot Goddess began being called Aphrodite during the Iron Age and was worshipped in Paleo Paphos as a heavily sexualized figure.
Venus, the roman aspect of Aphrodite, was most powerful in the city of Pompeii, known after 89 BC as Colonia Cornelia Veneria Pompeianorum. In fact, Hughes finds connections between Venus-Aphrodite and port towns overall, she also seems to have protected sailors and of course, where sailors are, there are prostitutes. Aphrodite's relationship with the last, from what we can gather of the ancient sources, was a protective one and even motherly.
According to Hughes, Aphrodite also promotes “sexual fluidity and experimentation.” The author spends a whole chapter on this matter, and from the archaeological and written evidence she has gathered, it seems androgyny was at all times prevalent in connection to fertility cults.
The Aphrodite portrayed by Hughes is not just a goddess of love and desire, she is much more, she is the one who “mixes-it-all-up”, the one who encourages socialization and civic harmony, the one who unites and of course, being able to hold that power, she also holds its opposite — the power to ruin, to drive men to battles, to create conflict whenever she wants (the Trojan war, for example). Under her epithets of Mechanitis and Epistrophia she was known as a deviser and deceiver. Aphrodite, above all other gods, stands as a proof of the morale and ethics of her worshippers. Under what epithet she was venerated showed the reality of society and its aspirations.
Hughes also criticizes the gradual sexualization of the goddess, visible through art and literature, from being an appropriately clothed woman at the beginning to, after the fourth century BC, a woman slowly shedding her garments.
Overall, Hughes has written a very easy-to-read, wide-ranged and brief (sometimes too brief, like seriously, I would like more information on some of the topics) book about Aphrodite-Venus, her past and her future, reaching even to contemporary times. The author knows her sources and uses them abundantly which I really appreciate. There is also an extensive bibliography for the curious reader with a lot of great suggestions for further reading! The book also includes illustrations, which I always appreciate.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book to read!
We are all familiar with the Greek myth about Aphrodite' s birth, a much violent act — Kronos throwing his father' s genitals in the sea. It might seem paradoxical, at first, that after such an act was born the goddess of Love, Beauty and Desire, but after all, pain and destruction always accompany those, very much like the Horai accompanying Aphrodite when she came out of the sea on the island of Cyprus.
Hughes takes a look at how a female deity, combining the opposite and yet complimentary characteristic of war and love, both springing from desire, be it Inanna, Ishtar or Astarte, took shape in the Middle East, at a very tumultuous, and vitaly important for the birth of the first civilizations, period. Her focus is mostly on Phoenician Astarte, as the most similar to Aphrodite-Venus.
As it is known, not only food, building materials, luxury items and etc. were exchanged between traders in prehistoric times, but also ideas. And indeed the phoenicians were pioneers in the area of long-distance (and not-so-long distance) trade, so it comes natural to suggest that their portrayal of a love-and-hate goddess would be the one to influence the newly arising Mediterranean civilizations and their forming cultures. Of course, Cyprus with its abundance of copper, was a highly preferred client for trade.
At the point of arrival of the idea of Astarte on Cyprus, there were already established cults, Hughes starts her work with what is left of a Chalcholitic fertility cult — stone intersex figurines, abundant in quantities, found near what is thought to have been birthing centers. After this cult lost its influence, another began, headed by a wanassa (local priestess/goddess/queen), in which central role was played by the production and trade of perfumes.
For a long time this wanassa lacked a name, so how did it adopt that of Aphrodite? As Hughes finds out, it is quite impossible to tell. We are only (almost) certain that the Cypriot Goddess began being called Aphrodite during the Iron Age and was worshipped in Paleo Paphos as a heavily sexualized figure.
Venus, the roman aspect of Aphrodite, was most powerful in the city of Pompeii, known after 89 BC as Colonia Cornelia Veneria Pompeianorum. In fact, Hughes finds connections between Venus-Aphrodite and port towns overall, she also seems to have protected sailors and of course, where sailors are, there are prostitutes. Aphrodite's relationship with the last, from what we can gather of the ancient sources, was a protective one and even motherly.
According to Hughes, Aphrodite also promotes “sexual fluidity and experimentation.” The author spends a whole chapter on this matter, and from the archaeological and written evidence she has gathered, it seems androgyny was at all times prevalent in connection to fertility cults.
The Aphrodite portrayed by Hughes is not just a goddess of love and desire, she is much more, she is the one who “mixes-it-all-up”, the one who encourages socialization and civic harmony, the one who unites and of course, being able to hold that power, she also holds its opposite — the power to ruin, to drive men to battles, to create conflict whenever she wants (the Trojan war, for example). Under her epithets of Mechanitis and Epistrophia she was known as a deviser and deceiver. Aphrodite, above all other gods, stands as a proof of the morale and ethics of her worshippers. Under what epithet she was venerated showed the reality of society and its aspirations.
Hughes also criticizes the gradual sexualization of the goddess, visible through art and literature, from being an appropriately clothed woman at the beginning to, after the fourth century BC, a woman slowly shedding her garments.
Overall, Hughes has written a very easy-to-read, wide-ranged and brief (sometimes too brief, like seriously, I would like more information on some of the topics) book about Aphrodite-Venus, her past and her future, reaching even to contemporary times. The author knows her sources and uses them abundantly which I really appreciate. There is also an extensive bibliography for the curious reader with a lot of great suggestions for further reading! The book also includes illustrations, which I always appreciate.
August 4, 2023
Not much of a biography but more of a glance at Venus/Aphrodite's influence in culture throughout the ages.
I find it so interesting how the same symbol can be molded into so many different physical and abstract interpretations.
Somehow I am not surprised how men haven't changed from ancient Rome in the way they view women as objects and how they set a standard beauty as an actual Goddess and expect women to conform to that image. There are so many parallels to today's world it's actually crazy.
I didn't know much about Venus before reading this book and now I feel a sense of protectiveness over her. Roses have a much more powerful meaning to me now.
For some reason the audiobook was hard to understand for me, I had to re-listen to some parts multiple times. I'll have to buy the hardcopy because I need to read and annotate this book.
I find it so interesting how the same symbol can be molded into so many different physical and abstract interpretations.
Somehow I am not surprised how men haven't changed from ancient Rome in the way they view women as objects and how they set a standard beauty as an actual Goddess and expect women to conform to that image. There are so many parallels to today's world it's actually crazy.
I didn't know much about Venus before reading this book and now I feel a sense of protectiveness over her. Roses have a much more powerful meaning to me now.
For some reason the audiobook was hard to understand for me, I had to re-listen to some parts multiple times. I'll have to buy the hardcopy because I need to read and annotate this book.
October 14, 2020
I devoured this little book while lazing on the almost mythic, dreamy beaches of Australia’s South West. Something about that region always draws me to read/write/paint Greek mythology, so coming across this in a tiny bookshop seemed like serendipity.
Bettany Hughes writes really beautifully. Her writing style is smooth, evocative and never dry—I enjoyed her creative way of presenting historical information. While I thoroughly enjoyed this analysis, it felt a little too brief. It read more to me like an (intelligent & scholarly, don't get me wrong) university paper rather than a book-length historical biography. I was just left wanting so much more.
In all, this is a lovely, however brief, introduction to the myth of Aphrodite.
Bettany Hughes writes really beautifully. Her writing style is smooth, evocative and never dry—I enjoyed her creative way of presenting historical information. While I thoroughly enjoyed this analysis, it felt a little too brief. It read more to me like an (intelligent & scholarly, don't get me wrong) university paper rather than a book-length historical biography. I was just left wanting so much more.
In all, this is a lovely, however brief, introduction to the myth of Aphrodite.
February 9, 2021
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this book for exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
DNF at 75%
It felt like not a lot of history was getting across in this book. At times it felt like a lot of stuff was just being thrown out there and being overalls explained. The author also talked a lot about their experiences which wasn’t really what I wanted or was expecting to read. The writing was kind of off for me. Used a lot of photos of artifacts without explaining why they were even there
DNF at 75%
It felt like not a lot of history was getting across in this book. At times it felt like a lot of stuff was just being thrown out there and being overalls explained. The author also talked a lot about their experiences which wasn’t really what I wanted or was expecting to read. The writing was kind of off for me. Used a lot of photos of artifacts without explaining why they were even there
February 23, 2025
This was a short but interesting biography of the goddess of love, Aphrodite-Venus. Even when you think you know her myth, she has so much more history and influence than you can imagine.
The book explores her origins (she had three early ancestors) and the connection between the Greek Aphrodite and the Roman Venus, explaining how she evolved into a vital part of the Roman Empire’s rise to power. Her infamous affair with the war god Ares-Mars highlights the close relationship between love and war—two forces that often go hand in hand in history (ahem, she instigated the Trojan War).
Her reach goes well beyond mythology too. She heavily inspired Cleopatra, she was Sappho’s confidante, and was considered the patron saint of “the oldest profession.” Many words, like aphrodisiac and hermaphrodite, stem from her name. More than just a goddess of beauty and desire, she was a powerful force in society, worshipped in both Western and Eastern cultures. Her myth has lasted for thousands of years, and her seduction is still going strong. The world has always, and will always, love the goddess of love. ❤️
The book explores her origins (she had three early ancestors) and the connection between the Greek Aphrodite and the Roman Venus, explaining how she evolved into a vital part of the Roman Empire’s rise to power. Her infamous affair with the war god Ares-Mars highlights the close relationship between love and war—two forces that often go hand in hand in history (ahem, she instigated the Trojan War).
Her reach goes well beyond mythology too. She heavily inspired Cleopatra, she was Sappho’s confidante, and was considered the patron saint of “the oldest profession.” Many words, like aphrodisiac and hermaphrodite, stem from her name. More than just a goddess of beauty and desire, she was a powerful force in society, worshipped in both Western and Eastern cultures. Her myth has lasted for thousands of years, and her seduction is still going strong. The world has always, and will always, love the goddess of love. ❤️
December 12, 2020
This little book is a short biography of the Venus/Aphrodite and explains how the perception of the goddess has shifted through time. It is a very quick and easy read, always accessible, and never dry. The author seems to be very knowledgable and passionate about the topic. I really enjoyed her writing style, at times it felt like she was telling Aphrodite's story to a good friend over a nice cup of coffee.
There is no background knowledge of Greek/Roman mythology needed in order to understand the book, the author keeps it light and doesn't go into too much detail. That's my only criticism, I think. However, it was a very enjoyable read and I would highly recommend it.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
You can find all my reviews on my blog: https://bookandlanguageaddict.com/
There is no background knowledge of Greek/Roman mythology needed in order to understand the book, the author keeps it light and doesn't go into too much detail. That's my only criticism, I think. However, it was a very enjoyable read and I would highly recommend it.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
You can find all my reviews on my blog: https://bookandlanguageaddict.com/
March 22, 2024
Sensuous, beautiful, and dense language composed into a vivid history and fantastical repertoire of the erotic fascination and reverence of a goddess figure. She and her legacy–an ancient behemoth of love, lust, sex, and desire–still breathe life and death into the modern world today.
March 14, 2025
Immortale, bellissima, forte, con l’animo di una guerriera e una storia di migliaia di anni alle spalle: Afrodite calpesta ormai questa terra da moltissimo tempo senza che la sua immagine si sia offuscata. Ci basta chiudere gli occhi per tracciarne i lineamenti, per vedere il suo corpo flessuoso, i suoi lunghissimi capelli biondi, l’acqua del mare che la culla e la sospinge a riva al momento della sua creazione.
Certo, quello che ci è rimasto di lei è solo un’ombra di quello che era, di ciò che è sempre stata: non c’è solo amore nel destino di Afrodite, o forse non l’amore che noi mortali riusciamo a contemplare. Le sue progenitrici provengono dall’Asia e si chiamano Ishtar, Astarte, Inanna. Dee della guerra forti e spietate, rappresentavano a pieno la realtà mesopotamica, feroce e alla ricerca di conquiste.
Erano le donne a rappresentare il potere, a generare la vita, il cardine necessario affinché la società continuasse ad esistere, prosperare, rigenerarsi. E anche le divinità dovevano rappresentare questo stato di cose, questa forza femminile prorompente e senza freni. E da questo crogiolo di coraggio, potenza e determinazione emerge Afrodite, arrivata a Cipro trascinata dalla spuma del mare fecondata in seguito all’evirazione di Urano.
Nell’ambiente greco, dunque, emerge questa divinità lucente e affascinante, che – come l’amore – nasconde sotto un’apparenza pacifica e perfetta un lato oscuro e perverso, il lato della passione senza freni e senza limiti. L’energia generata da Afrodite si slancia verso l’infinito, spinge uomini e donne in imprese pericolose ai limiti dell’umano, conduce giovani e vecchi a una follia d’amore sfrenata, a un fuoco che brucia e consuma senza lasciare scampo.
Continua a scrivere qui: https://parlaredilibri.wordpress.com/...
Certo, quello che ci è rimasto di lei è solo un’ombra di quello che era, di ciò che è sempre stata: non c’è solo amore nel destino di Afrodite, o forse non l’amore che noi mortali riusciamo a contemplare. Le sue progenitrici provengono dall’Asia e si chiamano Ishtar, Astarte, Inanna. Dee della guerra forti e spietate, rappresentavano a pieno la realtà mesopotamica, feroce e alla ricerca di conquiste.
Erano le donne a rappresentare il potere, a generare la vita, il cardine necessario affinché la società continuasse ad esistere, prosperare, rigenerarsi. E anche le divinità dovevano rappresentare questo stato di cose, questa forza femminile prorompente e senza freni. E da questo crogiolo di coraggio, potenza e determinazione emerge Afrodite, arrivata a Cipro trascinata dalla spuma del mare fecondata in seguito all’evirazione di Urano.
Nell’ambiente greco, dunque, emerge questa divinità lucente e affascinante, che – come l’amore – nasconde sotto un’apparenza pacifica e perfetta un lato oscuro e perverso, il lato della passione senza freni e senza limiti. L’energia generata da Afrodite si slancia verso l’infinito, spinge uomini e donne in imprese pericolose ai limiti dell’umano, conduce giovani e vecchi a una follia d’amore sfrenata, a un fuoco che brucia e consuma senza lasciare scampo.
Continua a scrivere qui: https://parlaredilibri.wordpress.com/...
February 29, 2020
My friend Antonia kindly lent me her copy of Venus and Aphrodite so I stared reading it as soon as I could. Bettany Hughes has this amazing talent for writing - the text is wonderfully written, when you read the paragraphs you feel as a friend is excitingly telling you about their research.
In her approachable and lovely way of writing Bettany Hughes shows her readers that Venus is far more complex than we thought she is. Venus and Aphrodite is truly a lovely and refreshing read, where you learn so much about the subject, but the information is presented in a manner that the reader isn't bogged down with unfamiliar and too technical language, but you still learn so much.
In her approachable and lovely way of writing Bettany Hughes shows her readers that Venus is far more complex than we thought she is. Venus and Aphrodite is truly a lovely and refreshing read, where you learn so much about the subject, but the information is presented in a manner that the reader isn't bogged down with unfamiliar and too technical language, but you still learn so much.
February 28, 2021
A short, engaging cultural and religious history of Aphrodite and Venus, focused on how she developed (through the melding of several middle eastern gods, including Isis moving west), what she represented (originally, all of the violent passions, love included!), and how she has been used in western societies since then. It was especially interesting to see how many aspects of Venus' rituals have likely persisted in Virgin Mary worship across the Mediterranean and also very interesting how Renaissance and Victoria misogyny defanged much of the passion and agency from Aphrodite, leaving a passive object of lust (the Venus de Milo statue gets a lot of stick here). And who knew that Freud was a classics scholar and had several statues of Venus and Eros in his office?
The final chapter sums up the messy life and use of the goddess thusly: "The ancients understood that desire is worthy of respect. Human relations of all kinds are hard....Perhaps then, it is best to think of her as the Greeks did: the goddess who mixes things up....Aphrodite-Venus, the heavenly, Paphian queen, is far more than just a gorgeous goddess of love; she is an incarnation of, and a guide through, the messy, troubling, quixotic, quickening business of mortal life."
**Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The final chapter sums up the messy life and use of the goddess thusly: "The ancients understood that desire is worthy of respect. Human relations of all kinds are hard....Perhaps then, it is best to think of her as the Greeks did: the goddess who mixes things up....Aphrodite-Venus, the heavenly, Paphian queen, is far more than just a gorgeous goddess of love; she is an incarnation of, and a guide through, the messy, troubling, quixotic, quickening business of mortal life."
**Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Read
November 25, 2024I loved this, it gave me so much information I didn’t know and it was so interesting reading about it
June 12, 2022
It is kinda funny that a book about THE goddess of sex and love is drier than a dry spell. It is also somehow more of a checklist than an actual book, a kind of a game of "let's see just how many goddesses from around the world we can connect to this very famous one." 😅
This book tried to cram so much history in as little as a dozen pages, it's ridiculous. Sometimes, entire centuries were passed over in as short as three sentences. Hmm, I'm trying to think of a good comparison which would properly convey my thoughts about this issue.... Okay, I know. We all had that one (sometimes more than one lol) teacher who spent the entire hour teaching a lesson by reading every line from the textbook in the most robotic of voices, as if by reading every line word for word would explain everything that needed to be explained and taught. Yup, that covers it.
The out of nowhere pictures of "old random art" did not help either.
As I said before, the writing of this book was excruciatingly dry. In fact, it was drier than the newly dried paint on a barn wall in the middle of a field in noon. It also felt like a thesaurus porn, lacking any flair or personal touch - even though the author obviously tried doing it by inserting the most random self-insert that ever self-inserted. Which would be fine if it was a consistent approach throughout the book but, alas it wasn't.
In short, I read more intersting and investing math seminars than this. Fucking MATH seminars, people! Ugh, what a waste of my time 😒
(read for a book club)
This book tried to cram so much history in as little as a dozen pages, it's ridiculous. Sometimes, entire centuries were passed over in as short as three sentences. Hmm, I'm trying to think of a good comparison which would properly convey my thoughts about this issue.... Okay, I know. We all had that one (sometimes more than one lol) teacher who spent the entire hour teaching a lesson by reading every line from the textbook in the most robotic of voices, as if by reading every line word for word would explain everything that needed to be explained and taught. Yup, that covers it.
The out of nowhere pictures of "old random art" did not help either.
As I said before, the writing of this book was excruciatingly dry. In fact, it was drier than the newly dried paint on a barn wall in the middle of a field in noon. It also felt like a thesaurus porn, lacking any flair or personal touch - even though the author obviously tried doing it by inserting the most random self-insert that ever self-inserted. Which would be fine if it was a consistent approach throughout the book but, alas it wasn't.
In short, I read more intersting and investing math seminars than this. Fucking MATH seminars, people! Ugh, what a waste of my time 😒
(read for a book club)
August 14, 2022
On one hand, the writing is great, the points are interesting, it has nice illustrations.
On the other hand, I wanted more depth.
On the other hand, I wanted more depth.
May 15, 2024
quiero ser la mujer que escribio este libro
September 21, 2022
very informative yes
February 12, 2023
1,5 🌟
I was expecting an archaeological journey of the cult of Aphrodite/Venus with a more scholarly approach... Well. It wasn't that.
The fact that there were no references or sources, only a vague "select bibliography" should have been warning enough. After 10 pages, I got worried of the terms and vocabulary employed to the point where I checked if it was self published by some obscure self-proclaimed scholar. After 130 pages I skimmed through to the end.
The writing was unbearable. It wasn't scholarly, it didn't refer to anything, it was meaninglessly flowery, it was written like a series of anecdotes related to Aphrodite and Venus rather than actual facts and research on the topic of her cult. I don't know much about Aphrodite herself, but I know enough about archaeology and cults to know that, if not entirely wrong, 70% of what was written was lacking depth and accuracy. I feel like I've learned nothing of Aphrodite's temples and cults, in Greece, and then for her Roman equivalent, for Venus.
Talking of equivalents... I was extremely uncomfortable and, later on, annoyed by her talking of the goddesses Inanna, Astarte and Ishtar as "grandmothers" of Aphrodite. They were deities in their own rights, from their own Mesopotamian civilisations and cultures (which were not prehistoric!!!). Although associated to one anothers, these deities weren't part of a "family tree" or "descendants" as Bettany Hughes tried to confusedly explain, they were worshipped individually and side by side by several people in the antic world.
It's a shame that this book wasn't handled from a scholar and more archaeological angle because the topic is very interesting.
I was expecting an archaeological journey of the cult of Aphrodite/Venus with a more scholarly approach... Well. It wasn't that.
The fact that there were no references or sources, only a vague "select bibliography" should have been warning enough. After 10 pages, I got worried of the terms and vocabulary employed to the point where I checked if it was self published by some obscure self-proclaimed scholar. After 130 pages I skimmed through to the end.
The writing was unbearable. It wasn't scholarly, it didn't refer to anything, it was meaninglessly flowery, it was written like a series of anecdotes related to Aphrodite and Venus rather than actual facts and research on the topic of her cult. I don't know much about Aphrodite herself, but I know enough about archaeology and cults to know that, if not entirely wrong, 70% of what was written was lacking depth and accuracy. I feel like I've learned nothing of Aphrodite's temples and cults, in Greece, and then for her Roman equivalent, for Venus.
Talking of equivalents... I was extremely uncomfortable and, later on, annoyed by her talking of the goddesses Inanna, Astarte and Ishtar as "grandmothers" of Aphrodite. They were deities in their own rights, from their own Mesopotamian civilisations and cultures (which were not prehistoric!!!). Although associated to one anothers, these deities weren't part of a "family tree" or "descendants" as Bettany Hughes tried to confusedly explain, they were worshipped individually and side by side by several people in the antic world.
It's a shame that this book wasn't handled from a scholar and more archaeological angle because the topic is very interesting.
August 25, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley and Basic Books for providing an ARC!
_______________________
I was glad to find this book on NetGalley! I love mythology and discovering more about gods, goddesses, their history, what they become as time goes.
Aphrodite's history is fascinating to read. Her duality is there almost from the beginning of her "life": she is both sweet, charming, loving and destructive, dark, a killer. She is both a love goddess and a war goddess in a way. She is beauty and contention, desire and lust.
The reader learns a lot about Aphrodite-Venus's use in art, politics and History: she is portrayed in a certain way to deliver a certain message to the population - and, mostly to women. They get to see the evolution of her representation, of what she means. Her body is clothed in the beginning of her cult, then naked, then clearly exposed. She goes from an object of veneration to an object of desire and lust. She goes from goddess to whore, by way of the Virgin Mary when Christinity needed to shut down her cult, and so used her for their own.
The book was well-organised: the reader is gradually guided through Aphrodite-Venus's history, and gets to see her thanks to illustrations. I loved that some of them were present in the book to support what was written.
I also loved the conclusion: despite everything, despite patriarchy, despite slut-shaming and all that, Aphrodite-Venus left a mark and is still part of our lives today. She might still be used to objectify women, but she is also used to empower them.
_______________________
I was glad to find this book on NetGalley! I love mythology and discovering more about gods, goddesses, their history, what they become as time goes.
Aphrodite's history is fascinating to read. Her duality is there almost from the beginning of her "life": she is both sweet, charming, loving and destructive, dark, a killer. She is both a love goddess and a war goddess in a way. She is beauty and contention, desire and lust.
The reader learns a lot about Aphrodite-Venus's use in art, politics and History: she is portrayed in a certain way to deliver a certain message to the population - and, mostly to women. They get to see the evolution of her representation, of what she means. Her body is clothed in the beginning of her cult, then naked, then clearly exposed. She goes from an object of veneration to an object of desire and lust. She goes from goddess to whore, by way of the Virgin Mary when Christinity needed to shut down her cult, and so used her for their own.
The book was well-organised: the reader is gradually guided through Aphrodite-Venus's history, and gets to see her thanks to illustrations. I loved that some of them were present in the book to support what was written.
I also loved the conclusion: despite everything, despite patriarchy, despite slut-shaming and all that, Aphrodite-Venus left a mark and is still part of our lives today. She might still be used to objectify women, but she is also used to empower them.
January 1, 2020
It's no secret to say there has been a longstanding connection - in patriarchal societies and religions at least - between sexual passion and violence. Bettany Hughes here gives us a strong, clear history of Aphrodite, who became Venus, and who subsequently became all sorts of sub-creatures - good Venus, bad Venus, the goddess and the whore, the duality of insecurity in mostly male minds: the allure of beauty, and the power of female sexual power to turn that allure into slavery, uncertainty, paranoia and madness at the notion of cuckoldry, of female sex unfettered by male exclusivity. She even draws lines between Aphrodite and Venus (and her son Eros) and the Virgin Mary and Jesus. There are neat historical diversions into the likes of Julius Caesar (who claimed descent from Venus) and Cleopatra VII, (she of the asp), whom he publicly identified with the goddess. See also Caligula and his sister Drusilla, whom the emperor identified as a 'new Aprodite.'
It's a thorough look at the history and mythology of the goddess and what she has represented historically, and how we still use her and her symbology even today. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys mythology, symbology and the evolution of ideas through time. Give Bettany Hughes a go - she'll probably surprise you at least a handful of times.
It's a thorough look at the history and mythology of the goddess and what she has represented historically, and how we still use her and her symbology even today. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys mythology, symbology and the evolution of ideas through time. Give Bettany Hughes a go - she'll probably surprise you at least a handful of times.
June 14, 2024
2.5
i feel fine marking this read given that i got through half of it. there's nothing overtly offensive in this book, and i have no doubt the scholarship is good. but it is very much a starter book with narration which assumes the reader has not read past their childhood obsession with d'aulaires ancient greek gods. to add insult to injury, its the sort of narration i detest most in scholarship--the chatty, gossipy, personable writing that belongs in memoir writing and not in the histories. thats snobbish of me, but i do seek out writing by scholars for a reason.
if you don't know anything about venus, aphrodite, or any of her mediterranean kin, this is for you. alas it was not for me.
i feel fine marking this read given that i got through half of it. there's nothing overtly offensive in this book, and i have no doubt the scholarship is good. but it is very much a starter book with narration which assumes the reader has not read past their childhood obsession with d'aulaires ancient greek gods. to add insult to injury, its the sort of narration i detest most in scholarship--the chatty, gossipy, personable writing that belongs in memoir writing and not in the histories. thats snobbish of me, but i do seek out writing by scholars for a reason.
if you don't know anything about venus, aphrodite, or any of her mediterranean kin, this is for you. alas it was not for me.
November 26, 2019
This is a sort of biography of the Greek goddess looking at the people who worshipped her, the stories that created her and how her image has been used and continues to be used to this day. Short and sweet and a good introduction to the mythology.
September 18, 2023
3.5
a lovely little biography/historical account. it didn't manage to hold my interest at all times but it was a fast read so it wasn't a big deal in the end. if you're into myths and history it's worth a read.
a lovely little biography/historical account. it didn't manage to hold my interest at all times but it was a fast read so it wasn't a big deal in the end. if you're into myths and history it's worth a read.
January 18, 2025
the writing style is not really something i clicked with but the information was interesting!
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