11-11-2006, 10:13 AM
This entry originally appeared in: Sandler, S., (ed.), 2002. Ground Warfare: An International Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara: 25-26.
Amazons
Race of warrior women described by the Greeks.
The Amazons were thought to have been fierce fighters who from their birth were brought up to be warriors. The name Amazon is believed to derive from the Greek word amazos (breastless), referring to the legend that the Amazons had their left breast seared during childhood to facilitate the use of a bow. In addition to the bow, the Amazons, who usually fought from horseback, used swords, double axes, and crescent-shaped shields. Various Greek myths and works of literature refer to encounters between Greeks and Amazons, such as The Iliad and The Labors of Hercules.
Though their place of origin remains in dispute, the lands most associated with the Amazons are Thermiscrya in the mouth of River Thermodon (in modern-day Turkey), the Black Sea region, and Libya.
Until very recently, the Amazons were seen only as a mythological phenomenon. Archaeological work in Kazakhstan, however, has brought to light female burials accompanied by weapons, suggesting that the Greek myths may have had some basis in fact. In particular, seven female graves contained iron swords and daggers, bronze arrowheads, and whetstones for sharpening the weapons. In addition, the curved leg bones of a teenage girl attest to a life on horseback, while an arrowhead found in the skeleton of another female suggests that she had been killed in battle. Although these women, who were members of the Sarmatian tribe, cannot have been the Amazons of Greek myth (who were said to have lived far to the west), they may have been members of similar nomadic tribes who occupied the Eurasian steppes in the Iron Age.
Ioannis Georganas
See also:
Ancient Warfare
References and further reading:
Davis-Kimball, Jeannine. “Warrior Women of the Eurasian Steppes.â€
Amazons
Race of warrior women described by the Greeks.
The Amazons were thought to have been fierce fighters who from their birth were brought up to be warriors. The name Amazon is believed to derive from the Greek word amazos (breastless), referring to the legend that the Amazons had their left breast seared during childhood to facilitate the use of a bow. In addition to the bow, the Amazons, who usually fought from horseback, used swords, double axes, and crescent-shaped shields. Various Greek myths and works of literature refer to encounters between Greeks and Amazons, such as The Iliad and The Labors of Hercules.
Though their place of origin remains in dispute, the lands most associated with the Amazons are Thermiscrya in the mouth of River Thermodon (in modern-day Turkey), the Black Sea region, and Libya.
Until very recently, the Amazons were seen only as a mythological phenomenon. Archaeological work in Kazakhstan, however, has brought to light female burials accompanied by weapons, suggesting that the Greek myths may have had some basis in fact. In particular, seven female graves contained iron swords and daggers, bronze arrowheads, and whetstones for sharpening the weapons. In addition, the curved leg bones of a teenage girl attest to a life on horseback, while an arrowhead found in the skeleton of another female suggests that she had been killed in battle. Although these women, who were members of the Sarmatian tribe, cannot have been the Amazons of Greek myth (who were said to have lived far to the west), they may have been members of similar nomadic tribes who occupied the Eurasian steppes in the Iron Age.
Ioannis Georganas
See also:
Ancient Warfare
References and further reading:
Davis-Kimball, Jeannine. “Warrior Women of the Eurasian Steppes.â€
Ioannis Georganas, PhD
Secretary and Newsletter Editor
The Society of Ancient Military Historians
http://www.ancientmilitaryhistorians.org/
Secretary and Newsletter Editor
The Society of Ancient Military Historians
http://www.ancientmilitaryhistorians.org/
![[Image: Facetoface.jpg]](http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k67/FemaleWarrior/Artwork/Facetoface.jpg)
