Horse-riding, spear-throwing, pants-wearing fearsome female fighters—these were the real Amazons
The Amazons of Greek mythology, were fierce warrior women dwelling in the lands around and beyond the Black Sea. The greatest Greek heroes proved their valor by overcoming formidable Amazon queens in several famous myths. In one, Theseus, mythic founder of Athens, fought and defeated the Amazon Antiope. Heracles set out on his ninth labor with orders to obtain the war belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyte.
As Greek knowledge of Scythia expanded, descriptions and images of Amazons in art and literature took on more realistic details, reflecting the actual customs and attire of steppe nomads, including their horses and weapons. By about 450 B.C., Herodotus and other writers were describing how women of Scythia fought alongside men on horseback, like the Amazons of myth.
Like Scythian mounted archers, Amazons were depicted riding and wielding bows. This fifth-century B.C. Etruscan bronze Amazon is executing a Parthian shot . British Museum, LondonAbout one-third of Scythian women found in burials to date have been discovered with weapons. Their bones bear the marks of combat injuries: slashed ribs, fractured skulls, and broken arms.
It is true that in Greek myths, the foreign Amazons were always defeated by Greek heroes—after all, Greeks wanted to hear stories about their champions as ultimate victors. But in every myth, the Amazons were portrayed as the heroes’ match in valor and prowess. Heroes seeking glory need powerful adversaries to overcome. There would be no honor in killing a weak foe. Accordingly, Greek vase paintings of the battles with Amazons are filled with suspense.
An Amazon and a Greek engage in mortal combat on this second-century A.D. Roman sarcophagus. Louvre Museum, ParisAnother persistent belief broadcast by the ancient Greeks was that Amazons were a tribe of man-hating, domineering women who enslaved men and mutilated, killed, or rejected baby boys. This idea likely arose because Greek men oppressed their own women. By their logic, if women were strong and independent, then the men must be weaklings forced into submission.