For the Greeks, tantalizing scraps of information and legends about women of Scythia—especially the idea of “rogue” groups of female roughriders roaming on their own without men—i nspired countless “what if” scenarios. A mythic “alternative world” of Amazons was created from pieces of evidence about the real-world Scythians, who posed a theoretical question of vital interest to a male-centered warrior society like Greece. The sequence might have gone something like this:
• Amazons were warlike women of Scythia or closely associated with Scythians. Scythians were fearsome opponents on the battlefield.
• Unlike docile, sequestered Greek wives, Scythian women lived much like the men. Horse riders, archers, fighters, they were sexually free and always armed and dangerous. Imagine facing a hundred Atalantas in battle!
• Thought experiment: What would happen if our Greek heroes encountered a band of Amazons? Sparks would fly!
The Greek thought experiment resulted in an outpouring of thrilling Amazon stories, typically set around the Black Sea. Bards regaled eager listeners with the romantic and military adventures of fictional
Amazons. Myths gave birth to many alternative tales for characters and events, taking details from a core of reality, stoked by curiosity, and embroidered by creative storytelling. The stories were lavishly illustrated in paintings and sculpture. More than a thousand Greek vases depicting Amazons exist today. Even though only a fraction of the Amazon-related art and literature that existed in antiquity has come down to us, what survives still retains the power to enchant.
How did the ancient Greeks come by their imperfect but surprisingly detailed knowledge of Scythia.? And how did Amazons fit into the picture?
World History
