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The John Batchelor Show

S8 Ep268: FEMALE AUTHORSHIP AND THE TROJAN WOMEN Colleague Daisy Dunn. Daisy Dunn discusses the legend of Phantasia, a rumored female source for Homer, and the myth of Leda and the Swan. She argues that the Trojan War likely reflects real historical conflicts at th

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

News, Arts, Books, Society & Culture

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 31 December 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

FEMALE AUTHORSHIP AND THE TROJAN WOMEN Colleague Daisy Dunn. Daisy Dunn discusses the legend of Phantasia, a rumored female source for Homer, and the myth of Leda and the Swan. She argues that the Trojan Warlikely reflects real historical conflicts at the site of Hisarlik. The segment highlights key female figures: Andromache, who offers military advice to Hector, and Briseis, the enslaved woman central to the dispute between Agamemnon and Achilles, illustrating the centrality of women to the epic. NUMBER 9
1450 VIRGIL READING AENEID TO AUGUSTUS, OCTAVIA AND LIVIA.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is CBS Eye on the World.

0:08.5

Here's John Batchelor.

0:11.9

This is CBS. I on the world.

0:14.7

I'm John Batchelor.

0:16.7

The classical world.

0:19.2

The new book, The Missing Thread, A Women's History of Ancient Worlds.

0:26.0

This is Daisy Dunn, the author, and she's done us all the favor of compiling a list of women over several hundred years,

0:34.8

and in fact, a thousand years, if you look at the reflections upon them,

0:40.3

at the turn of the BC to AD, a thousand years of women in part contributing to the building

0:49.8

of the Greco-Roman world, the one we live with here in the United States and Europe lives with.

0:56.5

The traditions of the Roman world are the traditions of the Greek world, our emphasis on democracy.

1:02.3

Well, women were there all the time as mothers, as wives, and as schemers.

1:08.1

And it's a joy to welcome Daisy Dunn to begin, of course, with the Iliad,

1:13.6

written by Homer, except for there's a story that was started a long time ago, B.C.E.

1:23.6

And continued into the 19th century and might still have some merit.

1:30.3

That is that Homer was female.

1:33.8

Daisy, congratulations, Fantasia.

1:36.6

Who was she and who do we know her to be now?

1:39.4

Good evening to you.

1:41.3

Good evening.

1:42.0

Well, thank you.

1:43.5

Fantasia is the woman who is rumoured to be the originator

...

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