Amazons: fiction or reality

The famous ancient Greek historian Herodotus called the Amazons, a tribe of ferocious female warriors, "killers of people." Although in the modern world, the name Amazon is closely related to the powerful empire of online delivery Jeff Bezos, nonetheless historical studies have shown that such warriors really existed and were a terrible force that was respected.

It is believed that the Amazons were descendants of the ancient nomadic peoples - Scythians and Sarmatians. Their territory stretched from the slopes of the Caucasus Mountains between the eastern coast of the Black Sea to the vast Eurasian steppes.

In every myth, whether Persian, Greek, or Scythian, the Amazons were similar in descriptions: they rode horses, shot from a bow, controlled warships and wore pants. However, the question remains: who were they really?

Homer first mentioned their existence in the Iliad. The Amazons fought with Achilles, defending Troy. Heuristes, king of Argolis, instructed Hercules to steal the belt of the Queen of the Amazons Hippolyta. In ancient Rome, mythical stories about the Amazons were reproduced in the gladiatorial arena. Female gladiators were given the names of the famous Greek Queen Amazons. They fought in hand-to-hand combat and fought no worse than men.

Given the fantastic stories that have been told over the centuries, it’s clear why most people thought that the Amazons never existed. Their legends and history challenged male-dominated political power and sowed the seeds of feminism in women's beliefs.

However, in the twentieth century, Russian archaeologists revised their ideas about this when, during the excavation of Scythian barrows, they found amazing finds.

The ancient Greeks never wondered if the Amazons really existed. Stories about them have always been used to emphasize the femininity and family qualities of Greek women themselves. The Amazons were a symbol of barbarism and rudeness. They presented them as quick-tempered, easily offended, free and carefree, thanks to their lifestyle.

Herodotus wrote about their possible origin. His perception of warlike women was the same as that of the other Greeks: they killed people without any particular worries. In one of the historical descriptions, the Greek mentioned that a group of Amazons was captured during the Battle of Thermodon. When the Greeks sailed home, the Amazons broke free and killed every person on the ship.

The language spoken by the Amazons was linguistically similar to Scythian. But different from him. The Amazons attacked the Scythian villages and robbed them. Herodotus wrote about how vengeful Scythians persecuted the warriors, but after several days of conflict, both sides made efforts to achieve peace. Gradually, conflicts were replaced by a desire for communication.

Scythians and Amazons married, Herodotus calls their descendants Savromats. The tribes gradually moved to the northeast and led a nomadic lifestyle. The ability to hunt, shoot from a bow, ride a horse, competently wage war was considered the highest valor for men and women.

The ancient Greeks used the term "Scythian" for all nomadic peoples. For them, everything that was outside Thrace and did not correspond to the Greek way of life was the "land of the Scythians." This generalization included many nationalities, languages, and cultures, sometimes completely different from each other. It spread throughout the nomadic culture.

In 1993, the mummified remains of a Scythian-Siberian woman of the fifth century BC, known as the Siberian Ice Maiden, were discovered during archaeological excavations in the Altai Republic. Anthropologists have determined the age and cause of death: the girl was from twenty to thirty years old, she died due to breast cancer and severe trauma resulting from the fall.

The body of the "ice maiden" along with the remains of two horses was oriented east.

In the burial, archaeologists have found many items indicating that the "maiden" belonged to the Scythian people. Scientists have suggested that perhaps she was a priestess. But the tattoos preserved on the body and clothes very much resembled images of Amazons on Greek vases of the 5th and 6th centuries BC.

In further expeditions, Russian archaeologists continued excavations of more than one hundred and fifty ancient Scythian mounds in the mountainous regions of Altai and Kazakhstan. To their surprise, they found that almost a third belong to female warriors.

Among the items most often found bows, daggers, arrows with iron tips. Many women were buried in armor. They were not much different from the warriors of men. Some of them had a high social status, and with them were the remains of horses.

Such belligerence is most likely caused by the fact that when the Scythian men went on military campaigns, women should be able to protect themselves from attacks by other nomads. In order to survive in the steppe, you had to be able to protect yourself and be as courageous as men.

Watch the video: How Do Amazons Reproduce (May 2024).