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Greek goddess of love, sex, desire and beauty, Aphrodite is mostly depicted naked and/or wet, by Botticelli, Bananarama or Lady Gaga.

The Greek goddess of love, sex, desire and beauty, Aphrodite is mostly depicted naked and/or wet. And depending on your age and taste, that could be by Botticelli, Bananarama or Lady Gaga.

Born from the sea foam, you can still visit her rock in Cyprus, where there's always a crowd of tourists. No one is immune to her charms, says Hesiod. In fact we can all learn from Aphrodite's stress-busting strategy: when something annoying or stressful happens, she goes to Cyprus - for a bath.

Rock star mythologist’ and reformed stand-up Natalie Haynes is obsessed with the ancient world. Here she explores key stories from ancient Rome and Greece that still have resonance today. They might be biographical, topographical, mythological or epic, but they are always hilarious, magical and tragic, mystifying and revelatory. And they tell us more about ourselves now than seems possible of stories from a couple of thousand years ago.

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery

Available now

28 minutes

On radio

Tue 30 Sep 2025 23:00

Broadcasts

  • Mon 22 Jul 2024 09:30
  • Tue 30 Sep 2025 23:00

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... Heroism

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... Heroism

Rory Stewart with a radical take on the concepts that shape our lives.

Podcast