Ezploring the Origins of the Amazons

“We do well to remember that Amazon myth was the creation of a Greek culture that was dominated by men. Amazon tales combine a familiar pair of opposites, namely love and war.” (p. 3)

In the patriarchal society of ancient Greece, the lives of most women were strictly limited to child care and housekeeping. But Greek mythology imagined a prehistoric world where women could be hunters, warriors, and powerful ruling queens: the Amazons. Francisco de Orellana, a 16th-century Spanish explorer, gave that name to the Brazilian river where he encountered a tribe of female warriors. In our time, the popularity of Wonder Woman demonstrates the enduring power of this complex male fantasy.

Greeks imagined the Amazons as an exotic tribe of Thracians, the people who inhabited what is now Bulgaria:

“Greeks considered the Thracians to be a people with a liking for war. . . Gender roles among Thracians also seemed unusual. Plato, for example, contrasts the indoors life of Greek women with the agricultural and herding work demanded of women in Thrace.” (p. 99)

In Greek art, which survives largely as sculpture and vase paintings, the “Amazonomachy” or battle of male heroes against Amazons is a recurring theme, most famously the set of marble panels originally installed along the west side of the Parthenon depicting a mythical battle between invading Amazons and Athenians led by their legendary hero, Theseus. The Ninth Labor of Herakles was to obtain the magical golden war belt or “girdle” of Amazon queen, Hippolyta. There are different versions of this myth, but in some, the Amazon was so impressed by Herakles’ prowess as a lover that she surrendered the trophy without a fight. In the Trojan war, Greek hero Achilles slew Amazon queen Penthesilea, who had come to fight on the side of Troy after the death of Hektor. Achilles, who had serious anger control issues, was so smitten by her beauty that he immediately killed a Greek warrior who mocked him for falling in love with an enemy.

In pop anthropology, there is a minor industry that involves searching for evidence of “Real” Amazons – some actual ancient tribe of women warriors, particularly among the various ancient steppe nomads called Scythians by Greeks and Romans. This book dismisses such attempts as nonsense. No ancient source describes Amazons as nomadic, although like Scythians they were skilled horse riders, and are often shown in classical art wearing costumes similar to Scythian dress.

This is a most learned book by a very distinguished scholar, but it wears its learning lightly, not being overwhelmed by footnotes. The text is enhanced by 32 well-chosen color plates, including some photos taken by the author. It will be read with enjoyment by readers with an interest in classical antiquity, and the history of gender in warfare.

David Braund is emeritus professor of Classics at the University of Exeter.

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Our Reviewer: Mike Markowitz is an historian and wargame designer. He writes a monthly column for CoinWeek.Com and is a member of the ADBC (Association of Dedicated Byzantine Collectors). His previous reviews include The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada, Ancient Rome: Infographics, Byzantium and the Crusades, A Short History of the Byzantine Empire, Theoderic the Great, The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium, Battle for the Island Kingdom, Vandal Heaven, The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome, Herod the Great: Jewish King in a Roman World, Caesar Rules: The Emperor in the Changing Roman World, Ancient Rome on the Silver Screen, Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint, Persians: The Age of the Great Kings, Polis: A New History of the Ancient Greek City-State, At the Gates of Rome: The Battle for a Dying Empire, Roman Emperors in Context, After 1177 B.C., Cyrus the Great, Barbarians and Romans: The Birth Struggle of Europe, A.D. 400–700, Crescent Dawn: The Rise of the Ottoman Empire and the Making of the Modern Age, The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World Through the Women Who Shaped It, The Roman Provinces, 300 BCE–300 CE: Using Coins as Sources, The Cambridge Companion to Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, and Archaic Greece.

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Note: Amazons is also available in e-editions.

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