Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore

Bettany Hughes' Helen of Troy takes an interesting approach to the legendary heroine. Using our knowledge of the Bronze Age, the time during which the legendary Trojan War would have taken place, she tries to reconstruct the real Helen. In this book, Hughes reveals a powerful royal woman who was central to a society where the right to rule was passed down through the female line and where woman were held to be sacred. Bettany Hughes also discusses in great detail the difference between the modern notion of the helpless captive who was stolen by a Trojan prince and the more realistic sovereign woman who chose a better catch. Hughes also examines the politics of the time and suggests that the legendary Trojan War may have been based on a real conflict fought not only over a woman but in order to bring down an extremely wealthy eastern province, perhaps even starting the eternal feud between East and West.

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This book is extremely well written with its descriptions bringing the Bronze Age to life. Furthermore, Hughes presents various perspectives creating a well rounded narrative while at the same time presenting a clear hypothesis. It is interesting to see Helen portrayed as a powerful female as opposed to the play thing of powerful men seen in Hollywood films such as Troy. I highly recommend this book, but for those who would prefer to watch rather than read about Helen of Troy Bettany Hughes has made a documentary called Helen of Troy which can be watched on PBS