Amazons

In Greek mythology, the Amazons (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαζόνες) were female warriors and hunters, known for their strength, archery, and riding skills. They lived in a society where only girls were raised, and boys were sent to live with their fathers. These brave women were famous for their combat skills and often went on adventures around the world.

The Amazons were led by their queen and traveled far and wide, from places like Scythia to Thrace, Asia Minor, and the Aegean Islands. They were also known for helping to build temples and cities such as Ephesos, Cyme, and Smyrna.

Stories about the Amazons often placed their home at the edge of the known world. Many believed they lived in Pontus in northern Anatolia, near the Black Sea. Recent discoveries of ancient graves with female warriors support the idea that real horse-riding cultures, like the Scythian and Sarmatian peoples, may have inspired these myths.

Name

Etymology

The word "Amazons" has an uncertain origin. Some believe it might come from an old Iranian word meaning "warriors." Others think it could be a Greek word meaning "without husbands." Another idea suggests it might mean "virility-killing" in Iranian.

In ancient Greece, people often thought the word came from the Greek for "breastless," because of a story that Amazons removed one of their breasts. However, there is no evidence for this in ancient art, where Amazons are always shown with both breasts.

Historiography

The ancient Greeks believed that the Amazons were real, and many other cultures also told stories about brave women warriors. Some scholars think the Amazons might have been made up to represent the opposite of typical women or to symbolize other groups of people. Others compare them to cultures in places like Asia Minor or Minoan Crete.

Historians like Herodotus suggested that the Amazons might have been inspired by real people from Scythia or Lycia. In these areas, women had important roles and were respected. Modern discoveries of graves with women buried with weapons show that women warriors did exist in some nomadic cultures, but we still don’t know for sure if these were the Amazons from Greek stories.

Mythology

In ancient stories, the Amazons were brave warrior women known for their strength and skill. They lived in a society where only girls were raised, and boys were sent to live with their fathers. The Amazons appeared in many old tales, like the adventures of Heracles and the Trojan War.

During the Trojan War, an Amazon named Penthesilea helped the Trojans fight against the Greeks. She was defeated by the hero Achilles. Other tales tell of Amazons living near the Black Sea and their adventures with famous leaders like Alexander the Great.

One famous story involves the queen Hippolyte and the hero Heracles, who took a special belt from her. In another story, Theseus took an Amazon queen to be his wife, which led to battles between Amazons and Greeks.

Some stories say that the god Dionysus fought alongside Amazons, while others tell of Amazons meeting Alexander the Great. These tales show the Amazons as strong and brave women who played important roles in ancient myths.

Roman writers like Virgil also included Amazons in their stories, and some ancient Egyptian tales mention women warriors similar to the Amazons.

Famous Amazon queens include Otrera, the first queen; Hippolyta, known from Heracles' adventures; Penthesilea, who fought in the Trojan War; and Thalestris, who is said to have met Alexander the Great.

Various authors and chroniclers

Different writers told stories about the Amazons, listing their names and adventures.

Quintus Smyrnaeus wrote about warriors who followed Penthesilea, including Clonie, Polemusa, Derinoe, Evandre, Antandre, Bremusa, Hippothoe, Harmothoe, Alcibie, Derimacheia, Antibrote, and Thermodosa.

Diodorus Siculus described twelve Amazons who fought against Heracles, such as Aella, Philippis, Prothoe, Eriboea, Celaeno, Eurybia, Phoebe, Deianeira, Asteria, Marpe, Tecmessa, and Alcippe. He also wrote about Myrina, a queen who led Amazons in Libya, and named cities after her sisters and commanders, including Mytilene, Cyme, Pitane, and Priene.

Justin and Paulus Orosius told of queens Marpesia and Lampedo who ruled together and were killed in battles in Europe and Asia. Marpesia's daughter Orithyia became queen and was known for her war skills. She ruled with her sister Antiope, who was away when Heracles attacked. They mentioned Penthesilea's part in the Trojan War.

Hyginus listed more Amazon names, including Hippolyta, Otrera, Antiope, and Penthesilea, along with Ocyale, Dioxippe, Iphinome, Xanthe, Hippothoe, Laomache, Glauce, Agave, Theseis, Clymene, and Polydora. He highlighted Queen Otrera, mother of Hippolyta and Penthesilea, who built a temple to Artemis at Ephesus.

Valerius Flaccus mentioned Euryale, Harpe, Lyce, Menippe, and Thoe. Lyce was noted for killing a hero named Clonus with her javelin.

Palaephatus tried to explain myths in a rational way. He thought Amazons might have been men mistaken for women because of their clothing and appearance, and he doubted they truly existed.

Late Antiquity, Middle Ages, and Renaissance literature

Stephanus of Byzantium wrote about many Amazons, including those who fought against Heracles. He and Eustathius linked these Amazons to a place called "Thibais," which they said came from the Amazon Thiba's name. Some of Stephanus's Amazons gave their names to cities in Asia Minor, like Cyme and Smyrna. The city Anaea in Caria was also named after an Amazon.

Jordanes, in his work Getica, said that the Goths' ancestors lived near the Sea of Azov. When the Goths were away, their women defended their home and then formed their own army under Marpesia. They crossed the Don River and conquered lands in Asia, holding them for 100 years.

Medieval traveller John Mandeville wrote about a land called Amazonia, where only women lived and they did not want men to rule them. During the Renaissance, Amazons were often discussed, and in 1542, Francisco de Orellana reached the Amazon River, naming it after women warriors he said he met. The river and the surrounding area were named after these legendary women.

Amazons in art

Around 550 BCE, artists began showing Amazons as brave fighters and skilled horse riders on vases. After the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE, scenes of battles between Amazons and others became popular on pottery. By the sixth century BCE, Amazons were shown in many kinds of art, including big sculptures on important buildings like the Parthenon in Athens. These images stayed popular until the time of ancient Rome and beyond.

Artists liked to show Amazons as strong and passionate women. Some thinkers believe these images also showed what people at the time thought about society and identity. In later times, such as during the Renaissance in Europe, famous people like Queen Elizabeth of England were sometimes compared to Amazons because of their strength and leadership.

Famous artists like Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel painted dramatic scenes of Amazons fighting. Later artists continued to be inspired by these legendary warriors.

Maps

Old maps sometimes showed places where strong women lived. The Borgia Velletri map drew women with bows and arrows and others with spears and shields. It called the area "The land formerly of illustrious women" near the Volga river.

Another old map, the Fra Mauro map, named a place after the ancient Greek word for Amazons, putting it near the Middle Volga region.

Archaeology

Some people think the stories of the Amazons might have been inspired by real life. This idea comes from discoveries in old burial places in parts of Ukraine and Russia. In these places, scientists found weapons in the graves of women who were warriors. These women lived long ago and were part of groups called the Scythians and Sarmatians. In some areas, up to one in five warrior graves had women in them, showing that women could fight just like men.

Long ago, some thinkers also wondered if the Amazons came from a place called Minoan, but this is just a theory.

Modern legacy

The city of Samsun in modern-day Samsun Province, Turkey has a special museum called the Amazon Village. This museum helps people learn about the amazing stories of the Amazons and brings visitors to the area. The strong and brave Amazon warriors are often seen as symbols of strength and courage for many women today. They inspire women to be confident and stand up for what they believe in. Every year, there is a celebration called the Amazon Celebration Festival in the Terme area.

During a battle in 1826, the women of Mani fought very bravely against an invading army and were called The Amazons of Diros for their courage.

In literature and media

Literature and comics

• Amazon Queen Hippolyta appears in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream and also in The Two Noble Kinsmen, which Shakespeare wrote together with John Fletcher.
• The Amazon queen Penthesilea is a main character in the play Penthesilea by Heinrich von Kleist from 1808.
• Steven Pressfield’s 2002 book Last of the Amazons tells stories about Theseus and Queen Antiope and the Amazons’ fight against Athens.
• William Moulton Marston, with his wife Elizabeth Holloway and their friend Olive Byrne, created the superheroine Wonder Woman for DC Comics. In their stories, the Amazons are very strong and also very clever, making special tools and machines.
• In Rick Riordan’s books The Heroes of Olympus, the Amazons appear in The Son of Neptune and The Blood of Olympus. They are also the founders of the Amazon company.

Film and television

• Amazons appear in many movies such as The Loves of Hercules (1960), Battle of the Amazons (1970), War Goddess (1973), Hundra (1983), Amazons (1986), Deathstalker II (1987), Ronal the Barbarian (2011), Hercules (2014) and films in the DC Extended Universe like Wonder Woman (2017), Justice League (2017), Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021).
• Amazons are also in TV shows like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Young Hercules, Kaos, Xena: Warrior Princess, The Legend of the Hidden City, Huntik: Secrets & Seekers, and Supernatural.

Games

Amazons are characters in many games including Diablo, Heroes Unlimited, Aliens Unlimited, Amazon: Guardians of Eden, Flight of the Amazon Queen, A Total War Saga: Troy, Rome: Total War, Final Fantasy IV, Age of Wonders: Planetfall, the Legend of Zelda series and Yu-Gi-Oh games.

Military units

• A special unit called the Amazons Company was created in 1787 by a Russian leader. It was made up of wives and daughters of soldiers from the Greek Battalion of Balaklava.
• The Mino, or Minon, were an all-women military group in the old Kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). They were known for being very brave and strong fighters.

Social and religious activism

• From 1905 to 1913, women fighting for the right to vote were sometimes called "Amazons" in newspapers and books.
• In Ukraine, a leader named Katerina Tarnovska started a group called Asgarda. She believes that Amazons are the ancestors of Ukrainian women and teaches a special fighting style focused on protecting oneself.

Science

The asteroids that orbit the planet Neptune are named after the mythical Amazons.