Amazons

Amazons are known to be a civilizations composed only of women. They have been described by the Greeks as warriors. In fact their name: Amazon (Aμαζών in Greek) come from the Iranian word ha-mazan-, originally meaning “warriors”. Amazons are the opposite type of women that the one found in the Greek civilization. Indeed, Greek men saw women as weak and though that they should obey men in all the aspect of life. Amazons was for them a strange civilization. They often described them as cruel. Amazons lived in Pontus which is part of modern day Turkey near the Euxine sea. Greeks also told us that Amazons build many cities like Izmir (the third most popular city in Turkey nowadays). Amazons in order to fight were known to cut off their right breast or even burn it out. It permits them to fight with a bow more freely. In order to prevent their civilization to disappear, they needed to find men. To do so, they visited once a year the Gargareans, an all male neighbor civilization. Male babies were given back to their father while female babies were educated as farmers and warriors in the Amazon society. All what we know about the Amazons come from the Greek mythology. Are their evidence of their existence?

Amazons have been credited as myth during all the modern era. Only few historians believed that they really existed and were an important part of the ancient world. Many suggested that Amazons has Scythian origins and that the descendant of these Amazons was the Samartians. Since few years, investigations have found many evidences of their existence. Tombs of female warriors have been found in the regions described by the ancient Greeks. Furthermore, genetic comparison between these women and the Kazakhs revealed strong links. Kazakhs are known to be especially good horsemen. It corresponds to the description of the Greeks about Amazons. Many legends talks about them as good horsewomen. It is possible that some Kazakhs separated from the rest and become the Amazon civilization. Or maybe, Kazakhs was divided in two groups: the Amazons and the Gargareans. Men and women were separated. More archaeological investigations need to be done in order to really prove or disprove their existence as a unique all woman civilization. Kazakhs should be more studied too.