Along the steppes of Eurasia, archaeologists have excavated Scythian kurgans or burial mounds containing the skeletons of battle-scarred Scythian women along with collections of weapons, hunting equipment and tools. Nomadic peoples originally from Iran who migrated to southern Russia and Ukraine around the 8th Century BC, Scythian women were renowned for their horse riding and hunting skills, and participation in warfare. Mayor cites the Scythians as the most likely source of the Amazon legend. Ancient Greek Attic white-ground alabastron, c.470 BC, British Museum, London. Overwhelming evidence now shows that the Amazon traditions of the Greeks and other ancient societies derived in part from historical facts.Īmazon wearing trousers and carrying a shield and a quiver. In her scholarly analysis of the Amazons from “fact” to fiction, folklorist and historian, Adrienne Mayor argues: However, as a member of the Justice League, she is not associated with some of the more “unusual” attributes of the ancient Amazons such as breast searing. Likewise, the place of Princess Diana’s birth, Themiscyra, is mentioned by both Herodotus and Strabo as Amazon territory.Īs a true Amazonian, Princess Diana is trained in a range of skills in both combat and hunting by her aunt, Antiope. Her daughter, Diana is a reference to the Roman equivalent of the Greek Artemis, the goddess of hunting, the wilderness, and wild animals. His character, Queen Hippolyte references the authentic mythical leader of the Amazons. Marston’s knowledge of Greek mythology was extensive, and his ability to incorporate it into a new form truly remarkable. Indeed, they appear to have been regarded as the bogeywomen of antiquity. While Strabo admitted much of this was likely fanciful, his account provides an insight into Greek fears and anxieties surrounding the Amazons. He also wrote that the Amazons were believed to live separately from men - travelling into neighbouring territories to mate - but keeping only girls to rear. The Greek geographer Strabo (64 BC–AD 20) recorded the belief that the Amazons seared their right breasts to better use a bow and arrow or throw a spear. A helmeted Amazon with her sword and a shield bearing the head of a Gorgon on an Attic red-figure kylix, 510–500 BC.
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