Articles

Greeks, Amazons and Archaeology

Medieval depictions of the Amazons
Medieval depictions of the Amazons

Greeks, Amazons and Archaeology

James F. Vedder

The Silk Road Foundation Newsletter: Vol.2:2 (2004)

Abstract

The legends of the Amazons and their battles with the Greeks were popular subjects of ancient Greek art. Images of lone Amazons, of combat between an Amazon and a Greek hero, of general battle scenes, and occasionally of more amicable meetings appear in vase painting, sculpture, and other forms of art. The earliest representation known was made about 700 BCE. The subjects appeared frequently in the fifth century BCE, eventually rivaling the popularity of depictions of centaurs

Did Amazons really exist? Many modern writers deem them to be mythical beings as are the satyrs and centaurs. Others believe them to be symbols of the Persian or other peoples menacing the Greek borders and colonies. Still others believe that they may have been members of matriarchal societies of the Bronze Age.



Extant ancient written records, surviving in full, in fragments, or in reference by others, also relate tales of the Amazons. Homer, the eighth century BCE Greek poet, tells in the Iliad of the arrival of the Amazons to aid in the defense of Troy besieged by the Greeks. Other ancient writers mention Queen Penthesilea, who led her band of female warriors to aid King Priam of Troy. After her companions have been slain, she fights on valiantly, dispatching many Greeks until Achilles with a single mighty thrust of his sword kills her and her horse. In the fifth century BCE, Herodotus, the Greek historian born in Halicarnassus, wrote of the Sauromatae. These nomadic people lived east of the Don river before, during, and after his lifetime. One practice occurring in his time that seemed to impress Herodotus was the participation of the women in battle alongside the men. To give credence to this warrior image, he relates the myth of the beginnings of the Sauromatians. It so happened that the Amazons, imprisoned in three Greek ships on the Black Sea, overpowered and dispatched the crews. But lacking any knowledge of sailing, they eventually drifted ashore in the Scythian lands. In the aftermath of an ensuing skirmish, the Scythians found from the corpses left on the battlefield that the intruders plundering their land were women. The warriors, in awe of their opponents’ abilities, conceived a plan to enhance their own stock. They withdrew all but the youngest warriors, who were instructed to camp near the Amazons and to avoid battle. Eventually, after one chance meeting of a couple, they soon were all paired and joined camps. In time, saying “of womanly employments we know nothing” and not abiding the life of Scythian women, the Amazons chose not to join the elder Scythians and persuaded their mates to move northeastward beyond the Don river. So began the Sarmatians. All the wives continued their nomadic customs, and, wearing the same style of clothes that the men did, rode and fought alongside them.

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