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The Amazons are legend in the history of Ancient Greece. Described as “the daughters of Ares.” And the “Equals of men” these women lived in their own villages, among which is their capital, Themyscira. The city was said to be fortified on the Thermodon River. Here the women lived free of men but in a region inhabited by barbarians and man-eating cannibals who know no law or justice. They maintained their independence by being fierce warriors. The neighboring Scythians called them Oiorpata, meaning the “killers of men”. They were experts on the horse and with bows and Javelins. No man was permitted to stay in their cities. To maintain their population they captured men from neighboring tribes in order to conceive children. If a pregnancy resulted in a girl, she would be raised as a warrior. If it was a boy, it would be abandoned or killed. They don’t marry. To marry would mean they cease being an Amazon.
The description of the Amazons above was used in the opening of this episode. Questions exist to this day on whether they were myth or a real people. The Histories recorded tell an interesting story and recent archeological evidence is compelling. Watch the video and decide for yourself. Were the Amazons real? And if they were, what happened to them?
**I would like to apologize. A number of the primary sources referenced in this episode were done so second hand. I found it very difficult to get a hold of some of the works of the ancient authors referenced and was left to resort to the works of secondary sources that quoted them. As far as I have been able to tell they are valid and the secondary sources used are reputable. If it is any consolation, this video took nearly twice as long to research as I searched in vain for works I could not find. **
Resources:
The Histories by Herodotus (Book)
Post Colonial Amazons by Walter Duvall Penrose Jr. (Book) books.google.com/books?id=4cF...
The Amazon Women: Is There Any Truth Behind the Myth? By Amanda Foreman www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...
Amazons www.greekmythology.com/Myths/....
Amazons en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazons
The Women Warriors- the Sarmatians www.silkroadfoundation.org/art...
The Amazons Were More Than A Myth: Archaeological And Written Evidence For The Ancient Warrior Women by Carly Silver allthatsinteresting.com/amazo...