The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World Through the Women Who Shaped It

Author:   Daisy Dunn
Publisher:   Orion Publishing Co
ISBN:  

9781474615617


Pages:   480
Publication Date:   23 May 2024
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

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The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World Through the Women Who Shaped It


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Overview

'A brilliant concept, executed with enviable elegance' Lucy Worsley 'A gem of a book. Thanks to Daisy Dunn's elegant and lively retelling of history, the women of the ancient world are restored to the centre of the story of classical antiquity. It was a joy to read.' Peter Frankopan Spanning 3,000 years, from the birth of Minoan Crete to the death of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in Rome, a magisterial new history of the ancient world told, for the very first time, through women. For centuries, men have been writing histories of antiquity filled with warlords, emperors and kings. But when it comes to incorporating women aside from Cleopatra and Boudica, writers have been more comfortable describing mythical heroines than real ones. While Penelope and Helen of Troy live on in the imagination, their real-life counterparts have been relegated to the margins. In The Missing Thread, Daisy Dunn inverts this tradition and puts the women of history at the centre of the narrative. These pages present Enheduanna, the earliest named author, the poet Sappho and Telesilla, who defended her city from attack. Here is Artemisia, sole female commander in the Graeco-Persian Wars, and Cynisca, the first female victor at the Olympic Games. Cleopatra may be the more famous, but Fulvia, Mark Antony's wife, fought a war on his behalf. Many other women remain nameless but integral. Through new examination of the sources combined with vivid storytelling Daisy Dunn shows us the ancient world through fresh eyes, and introduces us to an incredible cast of ancient women, weavers of an entire world.

Full Product Details

Author:   Daisy Dunn
Publisher:   Orion Publishing Co
Imprint:   Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Dimensions:   Width: 16.40cm , Height: 4.60cm , Length: 23.80cm
Weight:   0.760kg
ISBN:  

9781474615617


ISBN 10:   1474615619
Pages:   480
Publication Date:   23 May 2024
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

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Reviews

I loved this radical new take on the familiar stories of the ancient world we all think we know but clearly only know the half. Dunn succeeds magnificently not in erasing men but in bringing out of the shadows some extraordinary women and giving them much more than merely reflected glory. The book sparkles with fresh ideas. * Anne Sebba, author of Ethel Rosenberg * Beautifully written, witty and wry, this is a great his - and her - story of the ancient past, carefully sifting the evidence to shine light on the power and influence women have wielded through the ages. * Michael Scott, author of X Marks the Spot * A brilliant concept, executed with enviable elegance. People will go to college to study the ancient world because of this book. Brava, Daisy Dunn! * Lucy Worsley, author of Agatha Christie * Daisy Dunn is the real deal. No thread is left hanging, let alone missing, in her closely woven tapestry of ancient women's history. Brilliantly conceived and written, The Missing Thread unerringly fingers the (chiefly male) ancients' inability to understand women and view them in the round. * Paul Cartledge, author of Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece * A beautiful, gloriously intricate tapestry, full of fresh faces and revitalised tales, woven with all the artistry and wit we've come to expect from Daisy Dunn. A stunning tribute to the women of the ancient world. * Jessie Childs, author of God's Traitors * Daisy Dunn is a wonderful writer and The Missing Thread is a wonderful book: rich, immersive, breathtaking in its authority and scope. This is a history of the ancient world which puts women where they belong - at the heart of the narrative - and the result is both deeply absorbing and urgently timely. * Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves * With wonderful lightness of touch, Daisy Dunn has rewritten the history of the ancient world. Coming out of the shadows, so many human faces, from Homer to Agrippina, from Lucretia to Cleopatra. Our vision of antiquity will never be quite the same again. As with all her previous books, Daisy Dunn has constructed an utterly compelling narrative. The men are not neglected, but they stand aside to reveal the neglected other half of the human race. * AN Wilson * A gem of a book. Thanks to Daisy Dunn's elegant and lively retelling of history, the women of the ancient world are restored to the centre of the story of classical antiquity, rather than being kept in the shadows. It was a joy to read. * Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads *


I loved this radical new take on the familiar stories of the ancient world we all think we know but clearly only know the half. Dunn succeeds magnificently not in erasing men but in bringing out of the shadows some extraordinary women and giving them much more than merely reflected glory. The book sparkles with fresh ideas. * Anne Sebba, author of Ethel Rosenberg * Beautifully written, witty and wry, this is a great his - and her - story of the ancient past, carefully sifting the evidence to shine light on the power and influence women have wielded through the ages. * Michael Scott, author of X Marks the Spot *


I loved this radical new take on the familiar stories of the ancient world we all think we know but clearly only know the half. The book sparkles with fresh ideas. * Anne Sebba, author of Ethel Rosenberg *


Author Information

Daisy Dunn is an award-winning classicist and author of seven books. Not Far From Brideshead (2022) was selected for Radio 4's Open Book and longlisted for the Runciman Award. In The Shadow of Vesuvius (2019) was an Editor's Choice in the New York Times. Daisy read Classics at Oxford before receiving a Masters from the Courtauld Institute and PhD from UCL. She is also a cultural columnist and editor of ARGO: A Hellenic Review.

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