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Amazon women of ancient Greece actually existed? - Maxmars - 03-25-2024
I have long understood the idea of "Amazon warrior women" to be a mythological notion... but it appears there may have been some substance to the story.
From The Guardian: ‘Truth behind the myths’: Amazon warrior women of Greek legend may really have existed
Subtitled: Excavations of bronze age graves have found battle-scarred female archers, says the historian Bettany Hughes
In Greek legends, the Amazons were feared and formidable women warriors who lived on the edge of the known world. Hercules had to obtain the magic girdle of the Amazonian queen Hippolyte in one of his 12 labours, and Achilles killed another queen, Penthesilea, only to fall in love with her as her beautiful face emerged from her helmet.
These horseback-riding, bow-wielding nomads, who fought and hunted just like men, have long been shrouded in myth, but archaeologists are discovering increasing evidence that they really did exist.
Archeological evidence in the Caucuses and steppe, in Azerbaijan have yielded some evidence that such women did, in fact, exist. Other indicators seem consistent with historical accounts and records which might lead one to accept that a group of exclusively female warriors once existed. The finds consistently reflected that they were long-time users of bow and arrow weapons, rode horses, and did in fact engage in combat.
I find the notion of reliance on ranged weapons as reasonable. Women might generally avoid hand-to-hand combat, as might be expected, although maces figured prominently among the weapons found most frequently among remains.
There has been a settlement there since the bronze age, and some of its 2,000 residents tell her that, in ancient times, their women disguised themselves as men with scarves – stories handed down through their generations.
She raised ancient stories of Amazons with them: “They said, ‘all of our grandmothers fought. The men were all away with the herds. The women always used to cover their faces to fight’, which is exactly what the ancient sources said, so that people didn’t know whether they were women or men.”
Nothing new under the sun... as they say.
