"Aphrodite was said to have been born out of the sea, rising out of a froth of white foam. But long before the Ancient Greeks conceived of this voluptuous blonde, she existed as an early spirit of fertility on the shores of Cyprus-and thousands of years before that, as a ferocious warrior-goddess in the Middle East. She's been a carnal symbol to Sappho, a Humanist muse to Renaissance artists, and a raunchy but subversive Shakespeare heroine. Proving that this mythological figure is so much more than just an excuse for chocolate-box romance, historian Bettany Hughes reveals the remarkable life of one of antiquity's most potent forces. Venus and Aphrodite brings together ancient art, evocative myth, and exciting archaeological revelations to tell the story of human desire. From Mesopotamia to modern-day London, from Botticelli to Beyoncé, Hughes explains why this immortal goddess continues to ensnare our imaginations today-and how we trivialize her power at our peril"--