The Amazons

[longly]

I’ve long believed in the existence of the ancient Amazon warriors—even before archaeological evidence began to surface. The Greeks told stories of the Amazons, but I suspect they got it entirely wrong. What they saw was something they couldn’t interpret accurately from their own cultural lens. To them, it appeared to be a society of only women, but I believe the Amazons were not exclusively female, nor even female-dominated. Instead, they likely lived in an egalitarian society, where both men and women could be warriors.

Life on the ancient Eurasian steppes was harsh and precarious. Survival demanded pragmatism. If a woman could fight, she was too valuable to dismiss. Women were encouraged to become warriors if they had the capability. On horseback, a woman could be just as lethal as a man—just as skilled with a bow, just as agile in the saddle, and sometimes even better. As long as they kept their distance from male enemies, they were on equal terms. This was a radically different reality from the Mediterranean world, where land was scarce and horses were a luxury. That region was steeped in male chauvinism, and women were often seen as prizes of war—slaves or concubines.

But the steppes were a different world. I suspect Amazonian women rose to the rank of rulers. And let’s not forget: “Amazon” is a Greek word. We don’t actually know what these people called themselves. They may have belonged to many different tribes. The Greeks learned about them through secondhand accounts—stories brought by travelers, merchants, and mercenaries. From a distance, these warriors may have appeared to be all women. Men and women alike wore their hair long and dressed similarly, making it difficult for outsiders to distinguish between them.

Recent archaeological discoveries support this reinterpretation. Excavations in places like Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, have uncovered female skeletons buried with weapons—arrowheads, daggers, and maces—suggesting that women were not only warriors but also honored in death for their combat roles. These findings challenge the myth and hint at a nomadic warrior culture where gender roles were far more fluid than the Greeks could imagine.

Excavations of bronze age burial sites have uncovered battle-scarred female archers, leading some archaeologists to posit that Amazons, the famed female warriors of Greek legend who are largely believed to be mythical, may have existed.

 

[Concerned American]

I’ve long believed in the existence of the ancient Amazon warriors—even before archaeological evidence began to surface. The Greeks told stories of the Amazons, but I suspect they got it entirely wrong. What they saw was something they couldn’t interpret accurately from their own cultural lens. To them, it appeared to be a society of only women, but I believe the Amazons were not exclusively female, nor even female-dominated. Instead, they likely lived in an egalitarian society, where both men and women could be warriors.

Life on the ancient Eurasian steppes was harsh and precarious. Survival demanded pragmatism. If a woman could fight, she was too valuable to dismiss. Women were encouraged to become warriors if they had the capability. On horseback, a woman could be just as lethal as a man—just as skilled with a bow, just as agile in the saddle, and sometimes even better. As long as they kept their distance from male enemies, they were on equal terms. This was a radically different reality from the Mediterranean world, where land was scarce and horses were a luxury. That region was steeped in male chauvinism, and women were often seen as prizes of war—slaves or concubines.

But the steppes were a different world. I suspect Amazonian women rose to the rank of rulers. And let’s not forget: “Amazon” is a Greek word. We don’t actually know what these people called themselves. They may have belonged to many different tribes. The Greeks learned about them through secondhand accounts—stories brought by travelers, merchants, and mercenaries. From a distance, these warriors may have appeared to be all women. Men and women alike wore their hair long and dressed similarly, making it difficult for outsiders to distinguish between them.

Recent archaeological discoveries support this reinterpretation. Excavations in places like Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, have uncovered female skeletons buried with weapons—arrowheads, daggers, and maces—suggesting that women were not only warriors but also honored in death for their combat roles. These findings challenge the myth and hint at a nomadic warrior culture where gender roles were far more fluid than the Greeks could imagine.

Excavations of bronze age burial sites have uncovered battle-scarred female archers, leading some archaeologists to posit that Amazons, the famed female warriors of Greek legend who are largely believed to be mythical, may have existed.

Were you Long Rod something or other in a previous life?

 

[fncceo]

Do you think Amazons were real?​

Very real ...

 

[fncceo]

Were you Long Rod something or other in a previous life?

 

[Muhammed]

I’ve long believed in the existence of the ancient Amazon warriors—even before archaeological evidence began to surface. The Greeks told stories of the Amazons, but I suspect they got it entirely wrong. What they saw was something they couldn’t interpret accurately from their own cultural lens. To them, it appeared to be a society of only women, but I believe the Amazons were not exclusively female, nor even female-dominated. Instead, they likely lived in an egalitarian society, where both men and women could be warriors.

Life on the ancient Eurasian steppes was harsh and precarious. Survival demanded pragmatism. If a woman could fight, she was too valuable to dismiss. Women were encouraged to become warriors if they had the capability. On horseback, a woman could be just as lethal as a man—just as skilled with a bow, just as agile in the saddle, and sometimes even better. As long as they kept their distance from male enemies, they were on equal terms. This was a radically different reality from the Mediterranean world, where land was scarce and horses were a luxury. That region was steeped in male chauvinism, and women were often seen as prizes of war—slaves or concubines.

But the steppes were a different world. I suspect Amazonian women rose to the rank of rulers. And let’s not forget: “Amazon” is a Greek word. We don’t actually know what these people called themselves. They may have belonged to many different tribes. The Greeks learned about them through secondhand accounts—stories brought by travelers, merchants, and mercenaries. From a distance, these warriors may have appeared to be all women. Men and women alike wore their hair long and dressed similarly, making it difficult for outsiders to distinguish between them.

Recent archaeological discoveries support this reinterpretation. Excavations in places like Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, have uncovered female skeletons buried with weapons—arrowheads, daggers, and maces—suggesting that women were not only warriors but also honored in death for their combat roles. These findings challenge the myth and hint at a nomadic warrior culture where gender roles were far more fluid than the Greeks could imagine.

Excavations of bronze age burial sites have uncovered battle-scarred female archers, leading some archaeologists to posit that Amazons, the famed female warriors of Greek legend who are largely believed to be mythical, may have existed.

They were real.

The Amazons had raiding parties of mounted female archers who used poison arrows that would cause paralysis and priapism.

So if you got hit by an arrow the poison would set in and you'd be lying there paralyzed with a hard on. Then they would **** you cowgirl style before you died. Maybe even after you died too. The freshly dead can ejaculate.

 

[Harry Dresden]

the greatest amazon...

 

[Muhammed]

the greatest amazon...

View attachment 1161521

Amazons didn't have blue hair.

They had greasy red hair. They were mostly blondes who would slather the globs of red greasy paralytic poison for their arrows in their hair. They would have really looked a mess. Nothing like Wonder Woman.

But they did paralyze their prey like Wonder Woman. They just did it with poisoned arrows rather than a golden lasso.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Amazons didn't have blue hair.

They had greasy red hair. They were mostly blondes who would slather the globs of red greasy paralytic poison for their arrows in their hair. They would have really looked a mess. Nothing like Wonder Woman.

But they did paralyze their prey like Wonder Woman. They just did it with poisoned arrows rather than a golden lasso.

how do you know?....

 

[Muhammed]

how do you know?....

I'm going by the ancient Greek accounts.

 

[Litwin]

I’ve long believed in the existence of the ancient Amazon warriors—even before archaeological evidence began to surface. The Greeks told stories of the Amazons, but I suspect they got it entirely wrong. What they saw was something they couldn’t interpret accurately from their own cultural lens. To them, it appeared to be a society of only women, but I believe the Amazons were not exclusively female, nor even female-dominated. Instead, they likely lived in an egalitarian society, where both men and women could be warriors.

Life on the ancient Eurasian steppes was harsh and precarious. Survival demanded pragmatism. If a woman could fight, she was too valuable to dismiss. Women were encouraged to become warriors if they had the capability. On horseback, a woman could be just as lethal as a man—just as skilled with a bow, just as agile in the saddle, and sometimes even better. As long as they kept their distance from male enemies, they were on equal terms. This was a radically different reality from the Mediterranean world, where land was scarce and horses were a luxury. That region was steeped in male chauvinism, and women were often seen as prizes of war—slaves or concubines.

But the steppes were a different world. I suspect Amazonian women rose to the rank of rulers. And let’s not forget: “Amazon” is a Greek word. We don’t actually know what these people called themselves. They may have belonged to many different tribes. The Greeks learned about them through secondhand accounts—stories brought by travelers, merchants, and mercenaries. From a distance, these warriors may have appeared to be all women. Men and women alike wore their hair long and dressed similarly, making it difficult for outsiders to distinguish between them.

Recent archaeological discoveries support this reinterpretation. Excavations in places like Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, have uncovered female skeletons buried with weapons—arrowheads, daggers, and maces—suggesting that women were not only warriors but also honored in death for their combat roles. These findings challenge the myth and hint at a nomadic warrior culture where gender roles were far more fluid than the Greeks could imagine.

Excavations of bronze age burial sites have uncovered battle-scarred female archers, leading some archaeologists to posit that Amazons, the famed female warriors of Greek legend who are largely believed to be mythical, may have existed.

they are still around :

the Amazons were a legendary race of female warriors who lived in Scythian lands around the Black Sea, a region that includes modern-day Ukraine.

 

[longly]

they are still around :

the Amazons were a legendary race of female warriors who lived in Scythian lands around the Black Sea, a region that includes modern-day Ukraine.

You're right—Ukraine is often cited as the origin of the Amazons. That’s where the Greeks reportedly encountered them. The Greeks had trading posts in the region and frequently employed Greek mercenaries who served in local armies. Even in those days, there were travelers, so some contact between the Greeks, and the Amazons likely occurred. However, I suspect it wasn’t extensive; otherwise, the stories told by Greek historians—like Herodotus—would have been far less distorted.

From the Greek perspective, any woman who behaved like a man was seen as unnatural or even hostile to men. If these women fought and killed men, the Greeks may have assumed they hated men entirely. They imagined the Amazons as a society of women who had no men at all. But that’s likely a misinterpretation.

I suspect the Amazons were simply a tribe that had been decimated by constant warfare on the steppes. By the way, the word “steppe” is Russian—it means “plains.” The Eurasian steppes resemble the North American plains to some degree: dry, harsh land that requires vast areas to graze even a few hundred head of livestock. Because of that, people had to travel constantly. They needed women to bolster their ranks of warriors. Losing wars on the ancient steppes had very harsh consequences: the men, boys, and elderly would all be slaughtered. The women and girls—at least the healthier and stronger ones—would become slaves and concubines. The best a defeated tribe could hope for was for the remnants to escape to less desirable lands, but even that could lead to slow starvation.

Anthropologists have collected stories from people in Kazakhstan describing how their ancestors lived. These legends—or oral histories, as they’re often called—aren’t always highly reliable, but they tend to be more trustworthy when they come from isolated communities. Once a location has been heavily visited by tourists or widely published, the stories often become less reliable due to modern-day storytelling pollution.

One recurring story is that the men would leave with the herds for the summer, while the women stayed behind to defend the homeland and care for the children. They say that when their female ancestors went into battle, they covered their faces so the enemy wouldn’t know they were women.

 

[longly]

I’ve long believed in the existence of the ancient Amazon warriors—even before archaeological evidence began to surface. The Greeks told stories of the Amazons, but I suspect they got it entirely wrong. What they saw was something they couldn’t interpret accurately from their own cultural lens. To them, it appeared to be a society of only women, but I believe the Amazons were not exclusively female, nor even female-dominated. Instead, they likely lived in an egalitarian society, where both men and women could be warriors.

Life on the ancient Eurasian steppes was harsh and precarious. Survival demanded pragmatism. If a woman could fight, she was too valuable to dismiss. Women were encouraged to become warriors if they had the capability. On horseback, a woman could be just as lethal as a man—just as skilled with a bow, just as agile in the saddle, and sometimes even better. As long as they kept their distance from male enemies, they were on equal terms. This was a radically different reality from the Mediterranean world, where land was scarce and horses were a luxury. That region was steeped in male chauvinism, and women were often seen as prizes of war—slaves or concubines.

But the steppes were a different world. I suspect Amazonian women rose to the rank of rulers. And let’s not forget: “Amazon” is a Greek word. We don’t actually know what these people called themselves. They may have belonged to many different tribes. The Greeks learned about them through secondhand accounts—stories brought by travelers, merchants, and mercenaries. From a distance, these warriors may have appeared to be all women. Men and women alike wore their hair long and dressed similarly, making it difficult for outsiders to distinguish between them.

Recent archaeological discoveries support this reinterpretation. Excavations in places like Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, have uncovered female skeletons buried with weapons—arrowheads, daggers, and maces—suggesting that women were not only warriors but also honored in death for their combat roles. These findings challenge the myth and hint at a nomadic warrior culture where gender roles were far more fluid than the Greeks could imagine.

Excavations of bronze age burial sites have uncovered battle-scarred female archers, leading some archaeologists to posit that Amazons, the famed female warriors of Greek legend who are largely believed to be mythical, may have existed.

Mr. Sage of Main Street, why do you consider this post to be fake news?

 

[Zebra]

were they real?

dont think so

 

[longly]

were they real?

dont think so

Perhaps I should have entitled the post: Do you think there's anything to the Amazon legend? Or do you believe the Amazons were real people—not just myth?

After all, the Greeks were writing about something. There was something happening on the steppes that they didn’t understand. And we know from archaeological evidence that some of the things the Greeks claimed did exist. There were women warriors among the tribes we’ve found their skeletons and their weapons. Archaeologists have uncovered these remains, so we know there’s something to the story. It wasn’t entirely fiction.

However, if you’re referring to the Amazons as the Greeks portrayed them, I agree—that depiction is wrong. I doubt very seriously that there was any society composed exclusively of women. In order for a society to exist, it had to include men. I believe the Amazons were part of an egalitarian society—men, women, and children—most likely a small tribe that had been greatly weakened by war. They desperately needed warriors, wherever they could find them. Any woman capable of fighting simply could not be disregarded.

Also, the environment of the steppes made women warriors much more viable than in the Mediterranean. Wars there were mostly fought on foot. But on the steppes, it was a mobile society—similar to the Plains of North America after the acquisition of the horse by Amerindians. A skilled woman warrior on horseback could challenge a man. Upper body strength didn’t matter as much. The weapon use was primarily the bow. She could keep her enemy at a distance, use superior cavalry skills to maneuver, and stay out of reach of short-range weapons like lances, swords, and clubs.

 

[whitehall]

Maybe 19th century historians misinterpreted the meaning of the Greek word for "amazon". Maybe it was really "lesbian".

 

[Zebra]

Perhaps I should have entitled the post: Do you think there's anything to the Amazon legend? Or do you believe the Amazons were real people—not just myth?

After all, the Greeks were writing about something. There was something happening on the steppes that they didn’t understand. And we know from archaeological evidence that some of the things the Greeks claimed did exist. There were women warriors among the tribes we’ve found their skeletons and their weapons. Archaeologists have uncovered these remains, so we know there’s something to the story. It wasn’t entirely fiction.

However, if you’re referring to the Amazons as the Greeks portrayed them, I agree—that depiction is wrong. I doubt very seriously that there was any society composed exclusively of women. In order for a society to exist, it had to include men. I believe the Amazons were part of an egalitarian society—men, women, and children—most likely a small tribe that had been greatly weakened by war. They desperately needed warriors, wherever they could find them. Any woman capable of fighting simply could not be disregarded.

Also, the environment of the steppes made women warriors much more viable than in the Mediterranean. Wars there were mostly fought on foot. But on the steppes, it was a mobile society—similar to the Plains of North America after the acquisition of the horse by Amerindians. A skilled woman warrior on horseback could challenge a man. Upper body strength didn’t matter as much. The weapon use was primarily the bow. She could keep her enemy at a distance, use superior cavalry skills to maneuver, and stay out of reach of short-range weapons like lances, swords, and clubs.

yes, there will be some truth in it

 

[Unkotare]