This is Part IVb of a four-part (I, II, III, IVa) series on the Amazons. Our objective with this series is to lend credence to the idea that Greek myths derive from historical accounts. That they are not fabricated from whole cloth, but are rather derived from stories about ancient events. In this episode, we …
I’ve decided to break the fourth episode into two parts, as it was getting quite long. So this is the first half of the fourth and final episode of our series on the Amazons (I, II, III). So far we have covered their mythical origins, the geography of their homeland, and their historical counterparts: the …
This is Part III of a four-part series (I, II, IVa, IVb) on the Amazons. In Part I, we saw that ancient writers considered the Amazons to be Scythians who conquered most of Anatolia before the Heroic Age.[A] But by the time of Heracles, their homeland was diminished to northern Anatolia around the Thermodon River. …
This is Part II of a four-part series (I, III, IVa, IVb) on the Amazons. In Part I, we looked at what ancient scholars had to say about the origins, society, and history of this legendary female tribe. Today, we will examine the geography of their homeland in northern Anatolia, which I will refer to …
The Amazons continue to spur the imagination to this day, after more than 2,500 years. Legends of a defiant tribe of female warriors fascinated the ancients as much as they do today. From the Amazon Rainforest to Wonder Woman, they have left an indelible imprint on world culture.[A] But who were these legendary women warriors? …