Bettany Hughes Books

Exploring the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, historian Bettany Hughes reveals the surprising histories behind these iconic monuments, from the Great Pyramids to the Lighthouse at Alexandria. Through her travels to each site, she uncovers the latest archaeological findings and vividly brings to life the distinct cultures that created these marvels. Richly illustrated and insightful, this work celebrates the ambition and creativity of humanity while offering a fresh perspective on these enduring symbols of antiquity.

From SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING author Bettany Hughes 'A wondrous wonderful achievement' Stephen Fry 'Fascinating' Observer 'Thrilling' Guardian Their names still echo down the ages: The Great Pyramid at Giza. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The Temple of Artemis. The statue of Zeus at Olympia. The mausoleum of Halikarnassos. The Colossus at Rhodes. The Lighthouse of Alexandria. The Seven Wonders of the World were staggeringly audacious impositions on our planet. They were also brilliant adventures of the mind, test cases for the reaches of human imagination. Now only the great pyramid remains fully standing, yet the scale and majesty of these seven wonders still enthral us today. In a thrilling, colourful narrative enriched with the latest archaeological discoveries, bestselling historian Bettany Hughes walks through the landscapes of both ancient and modern time. This is a journey whose purpose is to ask why we wonder, why we create, why we choose to remember the wonder of others. She explores traces of the Wonders themselves, and the traces they have left in history. A magisterial work of historical storytelling, The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World reinforces the exciting and nourishing notion that humans can make the impossible happen.

Exploring the life of a real aristocrat from the Greek Bronze Age, this work by historian Bettany Hughes delves into the context surrounding Helen, often idealized in art and mythology. By reconstructing her story, Hughes places Helen among the legendary figures of both myth and history, offering insights into her existence as a flesh-and-blood princess rather than just a pin-up of Romantic artists. The narrative intertwines history and legend, revealing the complexities of her character and the era she inhabited.

For close to three thousand years, Helen of Troy has been both the embodiment of absolute female beauty and a reminder of the terrible power that beauty can wield. Because of her double marriage to the Greek king Menelaus and the Trojan prince Paris, Helen was held responsible for an enduring enmity between East and West. But who was she? Helen exists in many guises: a matriarch from the Age of Heroes; the focus of a cult that conflated Helen the heroine with a pre-Greek fertility goddess; the home-wrecker of the Iliad; the bitch-whore of Greek tragedy; the pin-up of Romantic artists. Focusing on a flesh-and-blood aristocrat from the Greek Bronze Age, cultural and social historian Hughes reconstructs the context of her life. Through the eyes of a young Mycenaean princess, Hughes examines the physical, historical, and cultural traces that Helen has left on locations in Greece, North Africa, and Asia Minor.--From publisher description

We think the way we do because Socrates thought the way he did. In The Hemlock Cup, acclaimed historian Bettany Hughes gives Socrates the biography he deserves, painstakingly piecing together Socrates' life and using fresh evidence to get closer to the man who asked 'how should we live?' - a question as relevant now as it has ever been.

Istanbul serves as a gateway between East and West, renowned as one of the greatest cities globally. Formerly known as Byzantium and Constantinople, it uniquely spans two continents, divided by the Bosphorus Strait. Throughout its extensive history, it has been the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. The city's architecture showcases its diverse cultural heritage, featuring landmarks like the Hagia Sophia (Byzantine), the Blue Mosque (Ottoman), the Valens Aqueduct (Roman), and the Topkapi Palace (Ottoman), alongside modern Art Nouveau avenues, many recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Following the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, Ankara became the capital, leading to Istanbul being somewhat overlooked. However, over the past 90 years, the city has transformed significantly, especially in the 1970s when its population surged as people flocked for work, establishing it as Turkey's cultural, economic, and financial hub. Recent events have once again placed Istanbul in the global spotlight. While writing this narrative, the author experienced the turmoil of Taksim Square firsthand with her daughters. This rich portrait of a multifaceted city has been over a decade in the making, offering a visceral and immediate account of its vibrant history.

Istanbul has always been a place where stories and histories collide and crackle, where the idea is as potent as the historical fact. From the Qu'ran to Shakespeare, this city with three names - Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul - resonates as an idea and a place, and overspills its boundaries - real and imagined. In this epic biography, author Bettany Hughes takes us on a dazzling historical journey through the many incarnations of one of the world's greatest cities

From the celebrated British author and historian: a brilliant new book combining historical inquiry and storytelling élan to paint an unprecedentedly vivid portrait of Socrates and the Golden Age of classical Athens. We think the way we do because Socrates thought the way he did; in his unwavering commitment to truth and in the example of his own life, he set the standard for all subsequent Western philosophy. And yet, for twenty-five centuries, he has remained an enigma: a man who left no written legacy and about whom everything we know is hearsay. His life spanned “seventy of the busiest, most wonderful and tragic years in Athenian history.” Athens in the fifth century B.C. was a city devastated by war, but, at the same time, transformed by the burgeoning process of democracy. Drawing on the latest sources—archaeological, topographical, and textual—Hughes re-creates the streets where Socrates walked, to place him there, and to illuminate for us the world as he experienced it.

Istanbul explores a city which stands as a gateway between the east and west, one of the indisputably greatest cities in the world. Previously known by the names Byzantium and Constantinople, this is the most celebrated metropolis in the world to sit on two continents, straddling the dividing... číst celé

A vivid history of the ancient goddess Venus by the bestselling historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes