Amazons
The Amazons (Ἀμαζόνες) were a people of warrior women in Greek mythology. Traditions connected them with Ares and placed them at the edges of the world known to the Greeks. Stories about marriage, children and social organisation varied; they do not describe a documented matriarchal state.
The ancient explanation of their name as “breastless” is a folk etymology, not an established derivation. The story of damaging the right breast to facilitate archery belongs to myth; art normally depicts Amazons with both breasts. There is no basis for treating a tight band preventing breast growth as a demonstrated explanation.
Female burials with weapons in Scythian contexts provide historical material for comparison with Greek images of warrior women. In 2019, a collective female burial containing weapons and a gold headdress was investigated at Devitsa V in the Voronezh region. Such finds do not prove the existence of a people matching the Amazon myth literally.
Attic sarcophagus with scenes of the battle of the Greeks with the Amazons. Marble. Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum. A.D. 220-230Myth or reality?
According to the myth, the Amazons lived on the banks of the Thermodon in Asia Minor. Some historians believed that the tribe lived in the area where the Turkish cities of Amasya and Samsun are now located. From here, the Amazons made their trips to Asia. Myths say that the ancient cities of Ephesus and Smyrna were built by the Amazons, and also indicate "traces" of the tribe's presence in the territories from Euboea and Boeotia to Tanais and the Caspian Sea. Plutarch reported that the Amazons lived in the Caucasus Range along the Caspian coast, their habitat extending from the mouth of the Kura River to the Samur River, and in some epochs to Derbent. He also clarified that the Amazons are not direct neighbors of the Albans, Gels and Leges. Professor I. E. Surikov proposed a thesis about the "receding Amazons" — perhaps they eventually moved further and further away from the center of the Hellenic world as the Ecumene expanded. Doctor of Historical Sciences M. V. Skrzhinskaya noted the image of the Amazon that evolved in antiquity-from the Greek short chiton to an embroidered suit with Scythian weapons.
An Amazon wearing a helmet and carrying a shield with the head of Medusa Gorgon on it. State Historical Museum of Berlin. 510-500 BC
Statue of the Amazon. Roman copy from the original Greek. Capitoline Museum,Italy. The original is from the 5th century BC.Homer spoke of the wars of Bellerophon and the Phrygians with the Amazons. According to one version, the queen of the Amazon tribe Hippolyta (Antiope is also identified with her) was killed by Hercules, who was instructed by Eurystheus to take away the belt given to her by Ares. Other legends tell how Theseus took Antiope as his wife, which angered the Amazons, and they invaded Attica, which was under Theseus' control. Plutarch mentioned how the warriors crossed the Cimmerian Bosporus on ice and marched on Attica. After an unsuccessful four-month war with Theseus, the Amazon tribe returned to their original habitat. Under the leadership of Queen Penthesilea, the Amazons repeatedly opposed the Greeks, and together with the Trojan king Priam, they defended Troy from their attacks. Among the most recent references to the Amazons is the legend of the Amazon Queen Thalestris, who visited Alexander the Great. Myths about the Amazons are firmly embedded not only in poetry, but also became the subject of Greek, and then Roman fine art. The Amazons were repeatedly sung, and ancient warrior women were named after them. For example, a bas-relief was found with the image of two gladiatrix, one of whom was called the Amazon.
Hercules and the Amazons. Attic black-figure vase. Around 530 BC.
Attic sarcophagus with scenes of the battle of the Greeks with the Amazons. Marble. Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum. A.D. 220-230Written and visual sources securely attest the Amazon myth, not a state matching it in every detail. Archaeological burials of women with weapons show that female military roles had a real basis in some societies of the steppe world. Connecting these practices with particular Greek stories requires careful comparison.
Accounts of the invasion of Attica, Penthesilea at Troy and a queen’s meeting with Alexander belong to different layers of tradition. They cannot be assembled into a continuous documentary history of one people. The Amazons’ importance for ancient poetry, religion and art is nevertheless undeniable.
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Literature and sources
Attic sarcophagus with scenes of the battle of the Greeks with the Amazons. Marble. Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum. A.D. 220-230Interested in Ancient Rome beyond reading? Join Legio X Fretensis or explore our reenactment directions.
