The Amazons, a legendary society of warrior women, were said to inhabit the region northeast of Ancient Greece during the later Bronze Age.
Leading by their queen, Hippolyte, they were a tribe of women known for their pride, courage, their skills on the battlefield, especially with a bow and arrow, strong sense of honor, residing in the far reaches of the ancient world.
Scenes from their battles were popular in Greek art. Classical Greek literature serves as the primary source for Amazonian myths and was initially mentioned by Homer.
The daughter of Ares, the God of war
One of the most famous ones is Antiope, the sister of the Amazon queen Hippolyte and the daughter of Ares, the God of war. Of course, there are different versions of her story.
One of the most popular is when she was abducted, and here is what happened. Zeus’s jealous wife, Hera, gave Herakles seemingly impossible ten tasks; the ninth was to steal the girdle from the Amazon queen Hippolyta, so Herakles and his men went to the Amazon capital, Themiscyra, and demanded Hippolyta give them the girdle.
When she refused, a battle started, resulting in the defeat of the Amazons. As part of the victory, Herakles captured an Amazonian princess named Antiope and gave her to Theseus, one of the kings of Athens, as a gesture of gratitude for his aid.
Antiope went to Athens and lived as Theseus’s concubine. She fell in love with him and gave birth to his son, Hippolyte. But the Amazons unified with allies to attack Athens and rescue Antiope. In other versions, Antiope sides with the Amazons; in others, she is with her husband.
The truth behind the myths and legends of ancient Greece
According to the historian Bettany Hughes excavations of bronze age graves have found battle-scarred female archers. What this could mean? Exploration of burial sites within a bronze age necropolis in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, revealed a surprising discovery: women were buried alongside weapons, alongside jewelry.
Logically, archaeologists have concluded that they could have been Amazon women who lived 4,000 years ago. As she explained for the Observe, there’s truth behind the myths and legends of ancient Greece, and this evidence was all the more significant when linked to earlier finds.
As she explained for the Observe, there’s truth behind the myths and legends of ancient Greece, and this evidence was all the more significant when linked to earlier finds.
Women of all ages were active warriors and participated in battle
Back in 2019, the remains of four female warriors buried with arrowheads and spears were found in Russia, and also in 2017, Armenian archaeologists unearthed the remains of a woman who appeared to have died from battle injuries, as an arrowhead was buried in her leg.
“They found four women buried with weapons and horse equipment and what’s amazing is that they represent three generations,” said Adrienne Mayor, the author of “The Amazons: Lives And Legends Of Warrior Women Across The Ancient World,” in an interview four years ago.
“The oldest woman was about 45 to 50 years old and then a very young warrior woman, who was between 12 and 13 years old. That’s the astounding part of this discovery because it shows that women of all ages were active warriors and participated in battle alongside the men and were buried with the same honors as the men.”
Bits of evidence that are coming out of the earth
Hughes said that if we’re talking about a culture that crosses the Caucasus and the Steppe, which is what all the ancients said, obviously you need other remains.
“Their fingers are warped because they’re using arrows so much. Changes on the finger joints wouldn’t just happen from hunting. That is some sustained, big practice. What’s very exciting is that a lot of the bone evidence is also showing clear evidence of sustained time in the saddle. Women’s pelvises are basically opened up because they’re riding horses. [Their] bones are just shaped by their lifestyle,” she adds.
As she explains, the jewelry includes carnelian, semi-precious stones, and necklaces, so it’s a mark of women with status.
The finds will be presented in a new Channel 4 series in April, titled Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World. One of the episodes, “Silk Roads and the Caucasus.”
“Slowly you’re getting these brilliant bits of evidence that are coming out of the earth. That’s often the way, with the best stories,” she says in the documentary.
