The Amazons were a race of warrior women within Ancient Greek civilization. Though their origins remain in dispute, the lands most connected to the Amazons are Libya, Thermiscrya, which is on the Anatolia peninsula of modern day Turkey, and the Black Sea region of Eurasia. Until quite recently archaeological evidence concerning the Amazons has been scant, but highly suggestive that indeed a mythic race of warrior women may have fought along side men with equal status. Yet, such evidence does not follow with the traditional Greek mythic view of the Amazons. The Amazons in Greek myth were an entirely autonomous race, with entirely different customs than that of mainland Greece (or for that matter the Peloponnesus), and their prominent presence within Greek mythology served a very suggestive purpose within Greek myths. This purpose whether to reinforce the status quo, or the patriarchy of classical Greece, lends itself open to interpretation. Thus, there are two views of the Amazons which have taken a prominent place within the research sphere on the Amazons. Namely, up until very recently (in the 1990s) the Amazons were seen only as a mythological phenomena. Only recently has archaeological evidence suggested the existence of the Amazons (and evidence is still being unearthed throughout Eurasia). Taken as either an archaeological phenomena, a myth, or a mixture of both, a picture of the Greek Amazons can be gleaned. The following pages examine the Amazons, in their mythical, cosmological, and archaeological aspects.
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