Amazons (mythology)
Amazons, in mythology, are a group of female warriors prominently featured in ancient Greek narratives. These women formed a distinct society characterized by their rejection of traditional female roles, engaging in combat, hunting, and land cultivation. The myths describe them as fierce and skilled fighters, equal to men in battle. The Amazons were said to inhabit the land of Thermodon, with their capital in Themiscyra, ruled by a queen. In Greek mythology, they appear in notable stories, such as the tasks of Heracles and the Trojan War, striving to gain recognition as formidable opponents.
Historically, the existence of Amazons was long regarded as fictional until archaeological findings in the 21st century suggested that warrior women resembling the Amazons did exist, particularly in regions of northern Turkey and Ukraine. These discoveries revealed that women of the Sauromatian culture were buried with weapons, indicating their role as warriors. The myth of the Amazons, influenced by observations of real-life female tribes and cultural exchanges, has continued to capture the imagination across various periods and has inspired numerous artistic representations throughout history.
Amazons (mythology)
Amazons were a group of female warriors featured in a number of ancient Greek myths. These women cultivated a unique society that did not conform to the traditional female roles of ancient Greece. Amazons trained in combat, hunting, and land cultivation and often were described as fierce. Aside from breeding purposes, men had no place in Amazon culture. In Greek mythology, Amazons appear in several well-known tales, such as the twelve labors of Heracles. The poet Homer made the first written mention of Amazons in his epic poem The Iliad.
Historians long believed that Amazons were an imaginary race, but in the 2010s, archaeologists uncovered relics that suggest that Amazon-like warrior women actually existed. Scholars originally believed that Amazons inhabited an area that is now part of northern Turkey. However, other settlements can be traced back to a region in present-day Ukraine along the Black Sea, where Amazons occupied the territory of the nomadic Scythians.
The Amazons in Greek Mythology
The mythological Amazons inhabited the country of Thermodon. A queen reigned over the capital city, Themiscyra, which was populated only by females. Descriptions of Amazon women suggest that they were skilled in combat, physically fit, and equal to men in battle. Greek soldiers took pride in defeating Amazon women, whom they considered fair competition. Homer's Iliad refers to Amazons as antianeirai, which has been translated to mean both "antagonistic to men" and "the equal of men." Although Amazons had many masculine features, they embraced their sexuality. Once a year, the Amazons met with the Gargareans, a tribe of men who lived over the mountain range that separated the two groups, to reproduce. Amazons kept the female babies but discarded or killed the males.
Amazons appear in several Greek myths. The warrior women attempt to invade the city of Lycia in the stories of Greek hero Bellerophontes, known for slaying the Chimera, a monster made of different animal parts. Amazons also make an appearance in the stories of young King Priam of Troy and later fight on his side during the Trojan War. In the Greek hero myth of Heracles (Hercules in Roman mythology), Eurystheus tasks Heracles with obtaining the magical girdle of the Amazon queen, Hippolyte, as one of his twelve labors. Amazons also show up in mythology related to the hero Theseus and in stories about Alexander the Great (356 B.C.E.–323 B.C.E), the king of Macedon.
Historians have presented two possible narratives about the emergence of the Amazon myth. The first attributes its circulation to tales of the Caucasian district women of the Byzantine era. These women performed many of the same duties as men. Greek travelers, observing these strange traditions, carried their stories to their homelands of Persia, Egypt, China, and other locales, which led to the development of tales about a land of warrior women. Greek poets and storytellers then embellished these tales to shape the mythology of the Amazons. A second theory links the Amazons to tales of the priestesses of Artemis, who were known to cut off their breasts to symbolize the male ideal in the female sex. Few historians believe this theory is plausible, however.
Amazons are featured prominently in Greek works of art. Many sculptures, paintings, and pottery depict battles between Amazons and their foes. Some works of art that include Amazon women feature the legendary Amazonomachy, a great battle between the Amazons and the Athenian army. Amazons were even carved into the exterior of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.
The Amazons in World History
For many centuries, historians believed that art depicting Amazons was merely symbolic. Even historians of ancient Greece wrote of these women in more metaphorical than factual terms. Greek historian Herodotus wrote in the fifth century B.C.E. that a group of fierce women known as the Amazons came to inhabit the Black Sea area after losing a battle to the Greeks, who then took the women as prisoners. The Amazons overthrew their captors and steered their ship to the shores of the Black Sea, landing in present-day Crimea. Once ashore, the Amazons encountered a settlement of wealthy nomads called the Scythians. Amazons and Scythians eventually joined forces and lived together as equals. According to Greek historians, the Amazons lived in several areas across the Black Sea. They predominantly occupied parts of present-day Turkey and the Crimean Peninsula.
Tales of warrior women persisted over time, eventually making their way into the literature of medieval and Renaissance authors. Travelers of this era referenced the Amazon myth when describing encounters with female tribes in places like South America. For example, the Amazon River received its name from Spanish traveler Francisco de Orellana in 1541 after he met what he considered female warriors of the Tapuya tribe in Brazil.
The notion that Amazons actually existed outside the realm of Greek mythology was not taken seriously until the twenty-first century, however. The, archaeological digs in the Eurasian territory uncovered bones of women of the Sauromatian culture buried with weapons and gold. Both the bones and the relics buried with them indicated that the women rode horses and fought alongside men. They wore clothes similar to those described in Amazonian myths. The bones dated back to the time of the ancient Greeks, further supporting the hypothesis that the legendary Amazons were based on these women.
Bibliography
"Amazon Warrior Women Background." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 8 June 2015. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/amazon-warrior-women-background/1466/
Foreman, Amanda. "The Amazon Women: Is There Any Truth Behind the Myth?" Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Institution. Apr. 2014. Web. 8 June 2015. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/amazon-women-there-any-truth-behind-myth-180950188/?no-ist
Mayor, Adrienne. The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014. 1–17, 302–304. Print.
Rothman, Joshua. "The Real Amazons." New Yorker. Condé Nast. 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 8 June 2015. http://www.newyorker.com/books/joshua-rothman/real-amazons
Smith, William. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1880. 138. Print.
Worrall, Simon. "Amazon Warriors Did Indeed Fight and Die Like Men." National Geographic. National Geographic Society. 28 Oct. 2014. Web. 8 June 2015. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141029-amazons-scythians-hunger-games-herodotus-ice-princess-tattoo-cannabis/