Penelope's Bones

“In this eloquent book, Hauser…aims to put the experiences of Homeric women and goddesses center stage, countering the silence imposed on them by the epics….[t]aking an innovative approach, Hauser engages with pathbreaking scientific techniques in addition to textual analysis and literary criticism to let these women’s silences ‘speak.’”

– “CHOICE”
“Like the song of the Sirens, Penelope’s Bones tugs powerfully at its readers, an echoing summons from beyond the horizon. Hauser merges flawless aesthetic intuition about the Homeric epics with a superb command of scientific approaches to Bronze Age history from linguistics, genetics, cell biology, biophysics, and elsewhere.”– “Washington Independent Review of Books”
“A riveting narrative of the female figures of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey … A close study of the epic poems, a meditation on the lives of women then and now, an engaging history of scholarship, and an overview of the archaeology of the Bronze Age Aegean and beyond. Written with a novelist’s flair, Penelope’s Bones, with its linked chapters, makes for a surprising page-turner.”– “Wall Street Journal”
“Scholarly and witty, curious and lyrical, Penelope’s Bones 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. Penelope’s Bones is a wonderful, beautifully written and important book.” – “Dan Jones, NYT bestselling author”
“A brilliant riposte to a millennia-old dilemma. Fascinating, enthralling, and insightful–Penelope’s Bones helps to recolor the world of epic for us for good!”– “Michael Scott, author of X Marks the Spot: The Story of Archaeology in Eight Extraordinary Discoveries”
“If you are interested in the ancient world, I truly cannot recommend Penelope’s Bones highly enough. Just breathtaking–you HAVE to read it.”– “Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den”