Athena: Goddess of Wisdom

This episode contains graphic references of a sexual nature.Athena is the goddess of wisdom, tactical war and skilled craft in Greek mythology.She is the favourite daughter of Zeus and Metis, and is actually born from Zeus himself. She is one of the most recognisable Greek divinities, often depicted with her signature peaked helmet, spear, breast plate and shield, often with Medusa’s head it. One of the most important myths of Athena is the contest between herself and her uncle, Poseidon, for the patronage of Athens. Spoiler alert: Athena wins. To continue our immersion into the deities of the Greek Gods, this week Tristan Hughes is joined by Rachel Kousser, Professor of Art History at the City University of New York. Together they discuss Athena’s most iconic representations in both art and literature, and how she has become one of the must enduring figures of antiquity. The Senior Producer was Elena GuthrieScript written by Andrew HulseVoice over performed by Nicola WoolleyThe Assistant Producer was Annie ColoeEdited by Aidan LonerganIf you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy other episodes in the series: Zeus: King of the Gods, Hera: Queen of the Gods, Hephaestus: God of Fire, Aphrodite: Goddess of Love, and Ares: God of War.For more Ancients content, subscribe to our Ancients newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - enter promo code ANCIENTS for a free trial, plus 50% off your first three months' subscription.To download, go to the Android or Apple store.