Penthesilea and the Amazons

According to the 5th century BC historian Hellanicus of Lesbos, the Amazons were a "golden-shielded, silver-axed, masculine habit-loving and male-infant killing" warrior group. Whilst that is a very angled commentary, it isn't completely far off from the truth. Whilst studying and reading Classics, it is hard to not notice how men utterly dominate the field, even in the Ancient world. I am also guilty of placing ancient male heroes and myths into the spotlight, so this blog will be devoted to the infamous Amazons.

Who were the amazons?

Homer, the first recorded ancient Greek writer, described the Amazons as being "the equal of men"... but who were they? The Amazons were a race of warlike women, who were notorious for their battle prowess, bravery and dignity. They were thought to have lived on the outer limits of the known world, sometimes mentioned as Themiskyra. In mythology, the Amazons were daughters of Ares, the God of War. These were the women who sparred with Hercules, welcomed men only for breeding purposes and killed all male infants. In legend, the Amazons burnt off one of their breasts to better use a bow and throw a spear. This misbelief has no archaeological evidence, and even in Greek art they are depicted with both breasts. The historian Adrienne Mayor suggests the root of this fable stems from the literary confusion of it's etymology: in Greek, the prefix 'A' - meaning negating, and 'mazon', which is similar to 'mastos' (as in mastitis) meaning breast, can be misunderstood as 'without breast'. An alternative version is that it is a Persian name meaning 'warrior'.

The Greeks had a pronounced fascination with the Amazons; depicting them on all forms of pottery and art. They were even well named! Which is incredibly unusual for women at that time. (Just a side note, they had extraordinary names.. Here's an example: Andromache - meaning she who fights like a man.) So why did vase painters have such an affinity to painting them? Well, the Amazons were very exotic to the Greeks; they wore trousers, which was incredibly deviant, not even Greek men would wear them! They were often clothed with highly ornate geometric patterns on their leggings, armoured tunic with square patterns and were melded with the image of the Persian barbarian archer.

Throughout the Iliad, we see men constantly fighting for themselves, for eternal and individual glory. When Achilles doesn't get his way, he leaves the war and his fellow comrades behind and prays for their downfall. In the most contrasting way, the Amazons lived and fought as a tribe. Stories and depictions of battles between Greek men and Amazons were incredibly popular. So popular in fact, that they had their own name - 'Amazonamachies'. The battles are described as being very closely fought and never uneven, highlighting their profound skill in war. In the 5th century BC, mythological battles with the Amazons came to represent contemporary events such as the Greco-Persian wars. The armies of Darius I and Xerxes were represented by Amazons as the ultimate barbarous foreigners.

I'd like to also bring Penthesilea into the spotlight. This infamous warrior fought alongside 12 Amazons in the final (tenth) year of Battle at Troy. The myth goes that she fought against the Greeks, atoning for the accidental killing of her sister. Penthesilea's name is derived from the Greek word Penthos - meaning 'to mourn'. Her name tragically implying that grief was always bound in her destiny. Penthesilea, stricken with sorrow over hear sister's death, wishes to battle against the greatest Greek warrior, Achilles. When the Amazons arrive, we are told by sources that the Trojans felt 'like drought stricken land when rain comes'. When the Amazons fight against the Greeks, they turn the Trojan soil 'red'; however, when it comes to the duel between Achilles and Penthesilea, it is tragically brief. On a beautiful vase painting, Achilles still has his spear in his hand, he is not inconvenienced by her in the slightest as he kills her so quickly.

I would like to point out, that Penthesilea dying swiftly in battle does not make her any less of a hero. Penthesilea fought gallantly against Achilles, whereas Hector of Troy tried to escape the nimble warrior's wrath. Another astonishing difference between Achilles' killing of Penthesilea compared to Hector's, is the intense sorrow he is filled with once he finds out that he has killed her. According to a source, he feels as much love and grief as when Patroclus (his lover/cousin) dies. Another vase astonishingly depicts Achilles carrying her after she dies from the battle field. This is the only time a Greek warrior treats a fallen enemy with respect on the battlefield, and for a woman too!

Were the Amazons real?

For a long time, modern scholars believed these female heroine figures were little more than a figment of ancient imaginations, and just another emanation of the male psyche. Other historians suggested that the Amazons were a propaganda tool to keep Athenian women in line, some proposed that they were beardless men mistaken for women by the Greeks. However, a growing body of archaeological evidence shows that the Amazons were almost certainly rooted in reality, and that these were real women who had freedom and the Greeks would've definitely heard about them. Archaeological excavations of Samatian tombs and other nomadic tribes, especially in Khazakstan and dating to the time of Herodotus, revealed more evidence for the existence of these powerful women. Female skeleton remains were not only found with weaves, armour, horse trappings but also signs of injury from blades and arrowheads. One Scythian grave, dating to 4th century, found a female skeleton with a wound in the skull caused by a battle axe and a bronze arrowhead stuck in one knee.

The society of Amazons was thought of as Greek-male society in reverse. The Amazons are the ultimate contrast to Greek male warriors; they were Barbarians not 'civilised' Greeks, they were women who fought dangerously yet, were also desirable. The Amazons weren't just incredible warriors, they were also innovators in the art of war. Pliny the Elder, tells us that Penthesilea invented the skyrim axe and was the first to use it in a battlefield. In ancient Greece, women were expected to remain in the private sphere, and stay loyal to their children, the hearth and the loom.Yet beginning with Homer, stories of Amazons arose to defy those expectations. Whilst myths of Amazons defeated at the hands of Greek men definitely served an ideological function, to reinforce traditional Greek gender roles; the myths of their strength and independence served another function for those in the ancient world who were oppressed by gender ideology, to escape from it. The Amazons have been an enduring figure of inspiration for women of all kinds. Armed with double-headed axes, they are a symbol of resistance against patriarchy.

The last line of the Iliad reads "...and so the Trojans buried Hector, the tamer of horses". However, one scholar found a different version where the final line read "...and so the Trojans buried Hector, and then came graceful Pentheselia, daughter of Ares.'. I think I prefer this one.

Thank you for reading!