by Nene Adams ©1999 - All rights reserved

Just who were those sword wielding, horse riding, wild women known collectively as the Amazons?

According to Greek mythology, the Amazons were a tribe of warrior women who were the descendants of a rather unlikely liaison between Ares, the god of war, and the naiad Harmonia. Legend does not go into detail on this point, which is probably a good thing, considering that the Greek gods behaved like drunken fraternity brothers in a red-light district whenever they got a bit hot under the tunic.

Up until fairly recent times, a debate on the mere historical existence of Amazons taking place between archaeologists and historians might have prompted fist fights or at the least, a very sharp note left in one's message box. All of this controversy had taken place despite the fact that these women were mentioned by noted and respectable writers of ancient Greece and Rome such as Plutarch, Herodotus, Strabo, Plato, Hippocrates and others.Yet, even though these writers were considered credible sources of information for the times in which they lived, Amazons were still dismissed as mythological creatures, about as real as the island Atlantis.

On the other hand, excavations taking place in burial mounds located in Pokrovka, Russia, near the Kazakhstan border - okay, it's a bit far east for Greek Amazons but stick with me, here - have yielded the ancient remains of women who were buried with their weapons, which included iron swords, daggers, and bronze arrowheads. Although some scholars have suggested that these articles found in the female graves had a purely ritualistic function, there have been two pieces of evidence that tend to refute that line of thought. First, the leg bones of an approximately thirteen to fourteen year old girl were bowed, a clear sign that she had spent much of her life on horseback. And second, an arrowhead was discovered in the body cavity of another woman, indicating she had been wounded in battle. After all, how often do you trip and fall on an arrowhead while you're in your own yurt?

Hippocrates writes that the Scythian Amazons were battling their foes in the fifth century B.C. Graves discovered by archaeologists in the former Soviet Union near the Sea of Azov date to the third century B.C. and contain the remains of women buried with weapons. If the Greek and Roman historians are to be believed  - and the evidence in Pokrovka and elsewhere suggests that there were indeed women warriors roaming about the place in the centuries before Christ - then it is only reasonable to assume that Amazons did, in some shape or form, exist. Females who, for whatever reason, dwelled apart from men.

According to classical sources - Diodorus of Sicily and Herodotus, for example - the Amazons came from a territory in the foothills of the Caucasian Mountains and later settled near the Thermodon River in Pontus, Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). The earliest Greek sagas mention the Amazons; indeed, some later poets such as Quintus Smyrnaeus wrote about these women warriors as if his audience were familiar with them and their customs. However, when the Greeks eventually arrived in the Thermodon region, they found no Amazons there and assumed they had been driven off or, in some cases, destroyed by Hercules. Who, after all, was responsible for the whole golden girdle of Hippolyta fiasco, but that's another story.

Later Greek legends would systematically move the Amazons to whatever the edge of the known world was at the time. These women were barbarians, after all, and as such could hardly appreciate the value of good real estate.

Amazons were purported to have strange and unusual customs - well, strange and unusual for the Greeks, anyway.

Diodorus Siculus' Biblioteca Historica tells us that the Amazons practiced the arts of war and were required to serve in the army a fixed period, during which time they were expected to maintain their virginity. When their time in the field had been served, they were allowed to procreate with men (Note: Diodorus does not say if they "recreated" with men as well) and bear children, which were then turned over to the men for rearing. The women kept all administrative power in their own hands; men took no part in military campaigns and were not allowed to exercise the rights of free citizens.

Hippocrates' On Airs, Waters and Places states that a Scythian race called the Sauromatae was composed of women who rode horses, used the bow and javelin, and may only fight in battles when they are in the virgin state. Furthermore, they may not marry until a woman has killed three enemies, and when she takes a husband, she does not ride on horseback unless war obliges her.

Herodotus, in his History of the Persian Wars, also brings up this Sauromatae tribe, although he believed that an Amazon had to kill only one man before being allowed to marry.

Strabo's Geography informs us that that the Amazons who lived in the Caucasian Mountains used the skins of wild animals to make helmets, clothing and girdles; they ploughed, planted, pastured cattle and trained horses, as well as hunted and practiced war exercises. Two months out of the year, the women boogied on over to the neighboring mountain to have intercourse with the males of their neighboring tribe, the Gargarians (NOTE: That wacky Strabo refers to this as a "sacrifice" on the Gargarians' part. Yeah, right!) Any females born from these unions were kept by the Amazons; boys were delivered to the Gargarians to be raised.

Diodorus of Sicily's World History places the Amazons at the Thermodon River and endows one of them, known as the Daughter of Ares, with some distasteful traits. Not content with subduing her neighbors and making almost constant - if successful - war, she established laws which turned the tribe's men into humiliated slaves. Worse, any male children had their arms and legs mutilated so they would be unfit for battle... as well as rebellion.

And Justin in the third century A.D. has the Amazons actually putting their male children to death.

Strabo, Hippocrates, Diodorus of Sicily, Justin and others specifically state that the Amazons deliberately mutilated their right breasts in order to draw their bows more easily. In fact, it was generally believed that their breasts were burned when they were young girls so that the development of the right mammary gland was arrested completely.

Lysias in his Funeral Oration states that the Amazons were the first people to mount horses for riding. It is believed in some quarters that this would account for the myth of centaurs - those half-human, half-horse creatures. It is interesting to note that when the Spaniard conquistadors under Hernan Cortez landed in South America, they scared the hell out of the Aztecs because they were mounted on horses - to the eyes of the natives, those unshaven men appeared half animal and all divine.

This ends the general overview on Amazons. Now let's get into some specifics. In the next section, we will take a look at some of the famous Amazons of classical antiquity.

Hippolyta "Of the Stampeding Horse" - Amazon Queen, daughter of Otrera and Ares, god of war. Not to be confused with Hippolyta II, sister of Penthesileia. Hercules' ninth labor for King Eurytheus, according to Apollodorus, was to steal the golden girdle of Hippolyta, which had been a gift from her father. Hippolyta was so impressed by Hercules' strength she gave him the girdle without a murmur but the goddess Hera (who was always trying some scheme or another to destroy her stepson) told the Amazons that the hero was really there to abduct their Queen. The Amazons attacked and Hippolyta was killed during the battle. Other Amazons who were involved include Aello "Whirlwind", Ainippe "Swift Mare", Alcippe "Powerful Mare", Areto "Unspeakable", Asteria "Of the Sky", Celaneo, Deianeira "Strings Together Spoils", Eriobea, Eurybe "Grand Strength", Hypsipyle "Of the High Gate", Iphito, Marpe, Melanippe "Black Mare", Pantariste, Philippis "Woman Who Loves Horses", Phoebe, Prothoe "First in Might", and Tecmessa "She Who Judges".

Antiope "With Face Confronting" - Following Hercules' assault, the Amazons were attacked by yet another Greek hero; this time, it was Theseus. Queen Antiope was captured by Theseus and taken to Athens, where she married him and bore a son, Hippolytus. This act prompted an Amazonomachy, a battle between the Athenians and the Amazons which took place sometimes within Athens itself. The Amazons were defeated and according to Plutarch, Antiope was killed while she fought at her husband's side by one of her Amazon sisters, Molpadia, who ran her through the side with a spear. Another version of the story has Antiope being cast off by Theseus when he fell in love with Phaedra. She returned to the Amazon homeland in a huff and gathered up a war party. Attacking on the day of the wedding, Antiope was killed by the combined efforts of Theseus, his companions and Hercules.

Some of the Amazons who fought in this Attic war were: Amynomene "Blameless Defender", Androdameia "Subduer of Men", Andromeda "Ruler of Men", Antianeira, Antimachos, Antiopeia, Aristomache "Best of Warriors", Clyemne "Famous Might", Deinomache "Terrible Warrior", Doris "Bountiful", Echephyle "Chief Defender", Eumache "Good Fighter", Euryleia "Woman Wanderer", Hippomache, Kreousa, Laodoke, Melousa, Mimnousa, Molpadia "Death Song", Okyale, Orithia, Pyrgomache "Fiery Warrior", and Xanthippe "Yellow Mare".

Hippo "Horse" and Marsepia "The Snatcher - Amazon queens who founded the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Cyrene and Myrina. After Marsepia's victorious campaign at the Black Sea which led to the conquering of Thrace and Syria, she joined forces with Hippo, eventually marching their army all the way to the Aegean Sea and bringing Asia Minor under her thumb. After resting on her laurels and ruling her empire for a bit, Marsepia was recalled to the battlefield to defend her queendom from an uprising and was killed. History does not record Hippo's fate.

Lysippe "She Who Lets Loose the Horses" - This Amazon queen had a son, Tanais, who earned the enmity of the goddess Aphrodite by scorning marriage and devoting himself to war. In revenge of this slight, Aphrodite cast a spell on the youth which caused him to fall in love with his mother. He was so ashamed by this that he drowned himself in a river. Lysippe then sought to ease her grief by founding the city of Themiscrya, raising temples to Artemis, establishing laws for her people and consolidating her rule. Some sources claim that she led the first force of calvary into battle.

Melanippe "Black Mare" - Sister of Antiope who served under Queen Hippolyta. During the golden girdle episode, she was captured by Hercules and imprisoned with some of her sisters on board one of Hercules' boats. After leading a successful mutiny, during which all the Greeks were killed, the Amazons took over the ship and tried to head for home. They weren't good sailors, however; the women were blown to the Scythian shore where they stole horses and became raiders.

Omphale - An Amazon queen believed to have ruled the southern empire of Libya. She purchased Hercules at a slave market and forced him wear women's clothes, to card, spin and weave wool - among other things - and beat the hero with a golden sandal if did not please her. At last, growing bored, Omphale sent Hercules back to Greece where he belonged.

Penthesileia "Compelling Men to Mourn" - An Amazon queen who was the daughter of Orithia and Ares, god of war. Having left her homeland under a cloud (she accidentally killed her sister, Hippolyta II, during a hunt), she led a troop of Amazons into battle to fight the Greeks who were besieging Troy and was killed by Achilles. According to Quintus Smyrnaeus, she had only twelve companions with her: Clonie, Polymusa, Derinoe, Evandre, Antandre "Preceding Men", Breumsa "Raging Female", Hippothoe "Imperious Mare", Harmothoe "Sharp Nail", Alcibie, Derimacheia, Antibrote and Thermodosa. Between them, these women managed to liberate Troy, but only until the Greeks rallied and drove them back. Following her death, Penthesileia's queenship was assumed by Antianara.

Thalestris - An Amazon Queen in the time of Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.). While campaigning in Asia, Alexander met Thalestris, who wished to have a daughter from this famous Macedonian general. She stayed in his company for thirteen days and nights, they hunted lions together, and she eventually returned to her own country, dying without issue soon afterward. Plutarch lists fourteen authorities who mention this tale, although he dismisses nine of them as "pure fiction."  Alexander's successor, Lysismachus, scoffed at this story following the general's death.

And that little slice of legend mingled with history is the end of this particular article. Whether the Amazons as described by the Greeks actually existed, or whether these wonderful warrior women lived only in the imaginations of those who wrote about them - well, it really doesn't matter. They have captured our imaginations and continue to live in story and song, on television, in books and at the movie theater.

The archaeological record clearly shows us that some women did take up the siren call of the sword and stride forth into battle. Whether they called themselves Amazons or not, they showed the heart and spirit of their warrior sisters - which counts for far more than a mere mention in some Greek poet's latest ode. Deeds speak louder than words; these women's actions call to us across the centuries, firing our minds with their courage and the sheer audacity of defying a world's conventions.

Say what you like about them but the Amazons had the guts to reject the pre-conceived notions of a woman's place and step out high and large, looming over the classical landscape and shaking their spears at those who would enslave them with propriety and custom. To the Greeks, the Amazons may have represented freedom - deliberately casting off the bonds of accepted culture and creating one of their own; the dream of many, from slave to freeman, who chafed at society's ties. Or the stories of the Amazons may have been meant as a warning to women not to get too far above themselves lest they forfeit the protection of men and the gods.

To us, the Amazons also represent freedom - a life free from repression in a place where you can speak your mind without fear of censure; where you are safe within the circle of your sisters; where you are appreciated for who you are, not degraded because of your sex. Through us, the Amazon's ideals still live and thrive.

And that's not such a bad legacy from a bunch of semi-mythical chicks in chainmail.

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