For more than 3000 years, the legend of a tribe of brave warlike women living on the outskirts of the world has been stirring the minds of mankind. Their exploits and unique living conditions have been described by ancient Greek and Roman writers, as well as modern TV shows and films. Is there some truth in these legends and myths?
Instructions
Step 1
Amazons appear in the Iliad
One of the first works to mention the Amazons is the Iliad, an epic of Homer, written sometime in the 7th century BC. Female warriors are mentioned in passing, attacking Priam from Troy, who was stationed with an army in the territory of modern Turkey. After Homer, Greek writers added more and more details of the lives and origins of these warriors.
Step 2
Hercules and the Amazons
One of the 12 tasks of Hercules was the conquest of the magic belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyta. To carry it out, Hercules, along with another Greek hero, Theseus, visited the tribal capital of Themiscura on the Shermodon River, on the southern coast of the Black Sea. Hercules killed Hippolyta and received the belt, and Theseus took Antiope, the queen's sister, with him. To save Antiope, the Amazons invaded Greece, where they were defeated. The mythical battle between Greeks and Amazons has been immortalized in marble sculpture that is on display in the Athenian Parthenon.
Step 3
"Amazon" translated from Greek means "without a bust"
Ancient Greek and Roman writers attributed various strange traditions to the Amazons. The word "amazon" comes from the Iranian ha-mazan and means "warrior". However, the Greeks translate it as "without a bust." Perhaps the Greeks gave such a meaning to the word to explain the tradition of the Amazons to cut off their right breasts, which prevented them from accurately shooting a bow. However, Greek illustrations of Amazons represent them with both breasts.
Step 4
The Amazons are not just a myth
The Amazons are associated with different territories: with the Black Sea coast of Turkey, with the south of Russia, with Libya and even with Atlantis. In this light, it is not surprising that the Amazons are thought of as a myth. In recent years, thanks to archaeological excavations, these opinions have begun to change. Despite the fact that Russian archaeologists discovered, back in the middle of the 19th century, the skeletons of female warriors in the Black Sea region (land between the Black and Caspian seas), their existence has not been reliably proven. However, excavations by Russian and American researchers led by Janine Davis-Kimball of the American Eurasian Research Institute proved that Greek myths were based in part on facts.