Venus Uncovered: Ancient Goddess of Love

In 1914, the suffragette Mary Richardson walked into the National Gallery, pulled a meat cleaver from her sleeve and slashed furiously at the back of a beautiful, naked, goddess, Venus-Aphrodite, as depicted inVelazquez' celebrated work 'The Rokeby Venus'. Why? Professor Bettany Hughes embarks on a voyage of discovery, travelling across the Mediterranean and Near East to reveal the truth about Venus and her ancestors, proving that this mythological figure is more than just an excuse for sensual nudity and chocolate box romance. Venus Uncovered is the remarkable story of one of antiquity's most potent forces. Hers is the story of human desire, and how that desire transforms who we are and how we behave. Bettany explores Venus' eastern origins in Jordan, uncovers seldom seen prehistoric depictions of the goddess in Cyprus, and learns how the might of Rome was tied directly to Venus - whom the Romans often represented armed. Through ancient art, evocative myth, archaeological revelation and philosophical explorations Bettany reveals how this immortal goddess endures in the 21st century, and what her story reveals about what matters to us as humans. As she uncovers Venus, Bettany shows us why we still need to care about this primordial companion to human experience - and how we trivialise her power at our peril. (BBC)