The disappearance of the Amazons
In the legends of Greek antiquity, which have come down to us thanks to Homer and Herodotus, it tells about a tribe of Amazons of women warriors who once lived on the shores of the Black Sea, "in the wilds of distant Scythia." There was no room for men in their kingdom.
Brave and ruthless, they fought at the walls of Troy against the Greeks. Are these legends with real reasons, or a fairy tale? Or did the Greeks have a chance to meet with a tribe that lived according to the laws of matriarchy, and the meeting amazed them so much that even now, 3000 years later, we repeat the ancient story, which in our mouths has long turned into a fable?
The savage is incoherent and haughty to me
Said she was Penthesilea
Queen of the Amazons, and will answer
To us the contents of our quiver.
G. von Kleist. Penthesilea
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Three hundred virgins in search of the main character
Spring day. Sea shore. Behind lies half the world that he conquered. He is tired. He achieved everything he dreamed of. A servant approaches him: "A noble lady has arrived." Head nod, winner's gesture: "Let him come in!"
Well, the hero is used to being worshiped. But the stranger was not alone. A retinue dismounted in front of the house, in which there were 300 young and brave maidens. The hero looks around this crowd with a surprised gaze. How unusual their appearance is! Even more outlandish is what happens next. Presenting herself before the hero, the beautiful guest shamelessly measures him with her eyes. “How small and thin he is,” she says with displeasure, for all barbarians feel respect for an imposing figure, believing that only a special become makes a person “equal to gods”. The guest immediately announces why she came here. For the child!
The hero was Alexander the Great. Having conquered half of the world he knew then, he camped on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. The mysterious stranger was called Phalestris. She was the queen who “ruled all those who lived between the Caucasus and the Phasis River,” but her whole appearance was so inappropriate for her rank that surprised anyone: a short skirt tied over the knees in a knot; in the hands - a light shield in the form of a crescent; "The left half of the breast is exposed." She was the queen of the Amazons, a tribe that lived on the shores of the Black Sea, and wished to conceive a daughter from the hero, for she was to be born of the best, royal blood.
The Macedonian was amazed at the extraordinary request, but he agreed. For two weeks, the festival continued, to which all 300 Amazons and the best Macedonian warriors indulged. But in those days there was everything that thought allows: drunkenness, dancing, and love, which they indulged in in the dark, barely finding each other. Then Phalestris went to her kingdom, and Alexander to Parthia.
This amazing episode from the life of the legendary commander was cited by the author of "The History of Alexander the Great", the Roman writer Curtius Rufus, who lived four centuries later. According to him, the meeting with the queen of the Amazons took place in 330 BC.
But another, more famous biographer of Alexander the Great, Arrian (90 / 95-175), assesses the legend about the meeting of the Macedonian king with the Amazons: “There is not a word about all this … not a single writer whose story about such an exceptional event could be believed … I do not think that the Amazon tribe survived until the time before Alexander."
Probably, the meeting really turned out to be a figment of the imagination of a jaded resident of Rome, a lover of "bread and circuses." Real Amazons, if they actually lived, then many centuries earlier. At the time of Alexander the Great, the story about them already seemed like a legend. They believed in their fairy kingdom no more than in some kind of power of the king of the Peas, because it had long disappeared from the face of the earth. Their queens died in battles. Their descendants fled to remote corners of Asia and North Africa. There are only legends and myths, travel notes and military chronicles, although there are still monuments, coins and even the names of cities.
Without fear and barley
The Greeks and Romans weren't the only ones talking about the Amazons. Stories about battles with tribes of women warriors are known, for example, from ancient Chinese and Egyptian history (there are, in particular, the papyrus of the era of Ramses II). But no one spoke about this more often than the Greeks, and the very name - the Amazons - was invented by them.
They are first mentioned in the Iliad, a poem written in the 8th century. The name of their tribe could be translated as “chestless” (a-mazos), because, according to legend, the Amazons from childhood burned their right breasts so that “it would be more convenient to draw a bow and throw a spear” (Curtius Rufus). There may be a more prosaic explanation. We have the right to trace the word “Amazons” to the Greek a-maza, that is, “those who live without barley”. In other words, the Amazons are nomads who did not know agriculture. The Scythians judged the warriors according to their deeds and called them "canicides."
Was it by chance that the Greeks remembered the Amazons over and over again? Maybe in ancient times they really had a chance to encounter wild, warlike tribes, where women ruled. According to legend, in the II millennium BC. such tribes lived in Asia Minor. Their kingdom stretched from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and its center was the vicinity of the Fermodont River and the city of Themiscira in Asia Minor.
According to Herodotus, the Amazons separated from the Scythians, a nomadic tribe originating from Northern Iran. After the Trojan War, they retired east and, according to Herodotus, mixed with the Scythians again. This is how the people of the Sauromats appeared, where the new Amazons were equal with men. The warlike guests spoke of the local residents as follows: “We cannot live with your women, because we have different customs with them. We are engaged in bows, arrows, horses, and did not study women's work; in your country, women do not do anything that has been said, but do women's work, sitting in their carts”(Herodotus).
Asia Minor, Scythia, Pontus Euxine … "Here, in the sad Taurida, where fate has brought us …" the Greek world coexisted with the world of legendary Amazons, and this neighborhood, which appeared halfway from myth to reality, can least of all be called good. “This abusive thunderstorm intends to burn all the Greeks to the ground,” said one of the characters in the Penthesilea by G. von Kleist, a tragedy where the action takes place at the walls of Troy and where Greek youths and Asian maidens annihilate each other in a mortal battle, said about the Amazons.
According to legend, the Amazons approached Athens five times, threatening to exterminate all the inhabitants. The Greeks defeated them, but could not defeat them. In the last, merciless battle, the Greeks and women warriors came together precisely during the Trojan War. The foreign maidens were finally defeated. "O host of immortals, what will become of us?" The surviving Amazons hid among the spurs and gorges of the North Caucasus, where they were supposedly met in the 17th century.
The same word “supposedly” accompanies the first mentions of the Amazons by the Greeks: they are frankly mythological. In such a myth, the beloved Greek hero Hercules sets out to get the magic belt of Hippolyta (according to another version, Antiope), the daughter of the god of war Ares and the queen of the Amazon tribe, who made Hippolyta invulnerable to any weapon - after all, it was donated by Ares himself.
With a heavy heart, Hercules sets out on a journey. Even the brave Argonauts were put to flight by the Amazons. They did not show a shadow of cowardice in battle, but they became famous for their sophisticated mind. The author of Argonautica, Apollonius of Rhodes (295-215 BC), presents them this way: “The battle will not end bloodlessly, because the Amazons love only strength. They are the daughters of Ares. Female warriors were the least likely to reason and discuss - the habit called them to action.
Hercules prepared for the worst, but it turned out differently. Hippolyta cordially received the guest and presented tea: "Hippolyta herself gave him a variegated belt" (Apollonius of Rhodes). All would be fine, but the vengeful goddess Hera intervened, who wanted to destroy Hercules, because he was the illegitimate son of her husband. Immediately she sent a malicious Rumor to the Amazons. She deceitfully groaned and grieved that the queen would be kidnapped by a stranger. The angry Amazons decided to deal with Hercules. Tom had to take refuge on a ship with the war-loving Hippolyta, and only after sailing to Athens did the fugitives feel safe.
But the revenge of the Amazons was not long in coming. They appeared under the walls of Athens, where Theseus ruled at that time. The battle was so bloody that the memory of it survived for many centuries. Even Plutarch, visiting Athens, saw there monuments reminiscent of the war with the Amazons. According to him, the victory over them was celebrated there annually, and with its splendor this holiday eclipsed even the victory over the Persians: "Since ancient times, sacrifices were made to the Amazons before the holiday in honor of Theseus."
He also saw the mass graves of the Amazons: "The graves of the slain are located near the street that leads to the present Piraeus Gate." Their burials could be found in other regions and cities of Greece: in Thessaly, Chaeronea and Megara. It is the recognition of the historian and philosopher Plutarch that is considered today as proof that the battles of the Greeks with the Amazons are in fact a historical fact, and not a fiction of poets.
As for the fugitive Hippolyta, then, according to Plutarch, "she died fighting on the side of Theseus, struck by the spear of Molpiada, and in her honor a column was erected near the temple of Gaia Olympic". According to another version, the people of Theseus, or Theseus himself, or Penthesilea killed her.
"Emancipation" of the Amazons
The pages of the Iliad mention three times the "courageous hordes of the Amazons." Although, Homer does not give special explanations. The later authors are much more talkative: Herodotus (c. 490-425 BC), Hippocrates (c. 460-370 BC), Diodorus Siculus (c. 90-21 BC) and Strabo (64 BC - 20). They reflect on the origin of this tribe, describe the way of life of the Amazons, referring to long-standing testimonies and legends. In part, the storytellers contradict each other, but they agree on one thing: the world of the Amazons was completely different from the Greek!
Once throughout the Mediterranean, as in other regions of the Earth, women had power in the tribe, but gradually with a change in society - with the development of plow farming and cattle breeding - men began to play an increasing role. Household remained in the lot of women - they were engaged in it on an equal basis with slaves (patriarchal slavery originated even among primitive peoples) and therefore they themselves were reduced to almost the status of slaves. Patriarchy reigned in society. The woman was excluded from all social life. Their enslavement ends "right before our eyes" - in the foreseeable historical period.
So, in Athens around 600 BC. women lost the right to interfere in the political life of the policy. They were even denied the right to attend theatrical performances and sports performances. The more confused the Athenians were rumors that somewhere in Asia there was a kingdom of women. "Emancipated" Amazons knew how to stand up for themselves with weapons in hand. Their main enemies were men - they were tolerated only for the sake of procreation, and none of them could claim power in the Amazon tribe. It was as if a mirror divided two worlds: Hellas, which was owned by men, and a country lost among Asia, where "everything left seemed right" and women owned everything.
It is curious that, speaking of the Amazons, ancient authors invariably emphasize their unparalleled courage and military prowess. In the Roman Empire, the highest praise for a warrior was to tell him that he "fought like an Amazon." According to the Roman historian Dion Cassius, when the half-mad emperor Commodus (180-192) acted in the arena of the Colosseum as a gladiator, fighting either with animals or with people, senators, and with them all other spectators were obliged to greet him with shouts: “You - Lord of the world! In your glory you are like the Amazons!"
The women warriors were worthy of these delights. Their composure has become a legend: pursued by enemies, they hit them without a miss with a bow, half-wrapped in the saddle. They were especially adept at handling the double ax. This razor-sharp weapon, as well as a light crescent-shaped shield, have become invariable attributes of the Amazons in various images.
Even more surprising was the way of life of the warrior maidens. The tribe of the Black Sea Amazons supposedly had no place for men. The Libyan Amazons kept men in slavery: they cleaned up the house, looked after the children, and were used to carry weights along with the beasts of burden.
Where did the children come from, since the Amazon tribe ordered men to be found? The ancient authors have already puzzled over this ancient mystery of the "immaculate conception"; in addition, many queens and princesses of the Amazons allegedly swore that they would rather die than lose their virginity.
Of course, if people followed only such models of morality, the world would be different, and the race of Amazons would be nipped in the bud. Its longevity is a recognition of their intemperance. Most of the Amazons were not "exemplars of strict virtue." They sinned by continuing to weave the tribal pattern with their bodies.
Once a year, in the spring, when everything is blooming and eager to reproduce, the common darkness, like a net, confused the Amazons, drawing them into sin. They went on a hunt for men. Having caught for themselves handsome, healthy males - most often they were men from neighboring tribes, they feasted and indulged in love for two months.
Nine months after the spring orgy, children were born. If boys were born, they were, at best, sent to their fathers, and at worst, mutilated or killed. The daughters were welcome children, they were fed with the milk of the mare. All of them had to undergo a cruel procedure: they had their right breasts taken away (according to some authors, their left breasts). As it was said, they did this so that, having matured, it would be easier for the Amazon to pull the bow and it would be more convenient to cover herself with a shield. This is how the "emancipation" of the Amazons proceeded.
War of man and woman
Homer speaks rather dryly of the Amazons. In the legend of the Argonauts, they are portrayed as disgusting furies. But in the messages of later authors, their image becomes more and more attractive, while they themselves, driven by rumor to Libya, then to Meotida - to the Sea of Azov, already resemble epic heroes or fairy-tale fairies, losing in these myths the last remnants of life-likeness.
All Amazons become beauties as if by selection. Beheading the breasts doesn't make them ugly. The war with the Amazons, obviously, is not only a war of "blood and soil" - with a foreign people and for a foreign land, but above all a "war of the sexes". The best example of this is the story of the most famous Amazon - Penthesileia.
In the latest European literature, she becomes the heroine of the play of the same name by Heinrich Kleist, written in 1808 and shocking even Goethe. Her final scene is disfigured, as with scars, by the remarks: "He takes off the veil and kneels in front of the corpse", "Kisses the corpse." Its leitmotif is accurately conveyed by the following monologue of the Queen of the Amazons:
How many women hugging a friend
They tell him: “I love you so much, I'm ready to eat you out of love!"
And they will not have time to say this word, How sweet they are to disgust.
But you, my beloved, will not be deceived by me:
All that, hugging you, I said
From word to word it is done.
Other participants in the tragedy describe what happened:
But you, when he fell, on him
The dogs went crazy
And she rushed to torment him herself.
For the stage embodiment, Kleist chose a rare version of the myth, little known even to the Greeks. In it, Penthesileia kills his opponent - Achilles. But the main variant of the myth says otherwise. What happened to Penthesilea?
Her story plays out against the backdrop of the Trojan War and becomes the culmination of the myth of the Amazons. Their tribe reignites vengeance for Antiope-Hippolyta. Led by their queen, the "godlike" Penthesilea, they come "from the banks of Fermodont," "beautiful, brilliant and eager for battle." They want to fight against the Greeks, taking the side of the almost defeated Trojans. "Like beasts devoured by fierce malice," they rush into battle, destroying the hated men. Their example captivates the inhabitants of Troy: with difficulty, the defenders of Ilion manage to keep their wives and sisters, ready to rush into battle and stain their hands with male blood.
But everything suddenly changes: Achilles enters the battlefield, long shunned by the battle. Time almost ran back, but now it rushed forward with terrifying speed. Achilles mortally wounded Penthesilea, tore off the golden helmet from her head, and immediately he was wounded in the heart by Cupid's arrow. He fell in love with the beautiful queen who was dying before him. Now, until his death, he will be tormented by despair, because with his own hand he killed the maiden, whom he could only dream of. The poison of love burned his entire body, invulnerable to other blows. According to one of the legends, at that moment a strange laugh was heard behind Achilles. Then the "contemptuous Tersit" laughed. Turning around, Achilles killed him on the spot.
For the Greeks, and later the Romans, Penthesilea became a symbol of love, which is stronger than death. Her image is adorned with countless Roman and Greek sarcophagi, vases and reliefs. He has inspired artists and poets right up to our time.
Penthesilea, says Diodorus, was the last Black Sea Amazon to be distinguished by valor. After her heroic death, the Amazons hid in the Caucasus mountains and, according to Herodotus, mingled with the Scythian people.
They were not forgotten, but already in the 1st century BC. the first doubts about their real existence appear. The historian and geographer Strabo collected many stories about the Amazons, but, comparing them, called them idle inventions.
“Something strange happened to the story of the Amazons. The fact is that in all other legends mythical and historical elements are differentiated … As for the Amazons, the same legends were always used about them, both earlier and now, completely wonderful and incredible."
His opinion was shared by subsequent generations of historians. In addition, the Amazons seemed to have disappeared into the vastness of history without a trace - at first glance, they did not leave any authentic evidence of their existence. "With regard to the current whereabouts of the Amazons," summed up Strabo, "only a few report this only unsubstantiated and implausible information."
So women - warriors became truly legendary creatures. Their images only colored the exploits of the ancient heroes, excited imagination, and at the same time suppressed any contradictions of women. As the rhetorician Isocrates (436-338 BC) put it: "No matter how brave the Amazons were, they were defeated by men and lost everything."
So is there a grain of truth in this rhetoric? Were the Amazons really scattered under the blows of the more agile Greeks in battle? Could they really meet with the Hellenes in the vastness of Asia?
The graves that separated reality and lies
The history of the Amazons resembles a pure myth, but after all, the history of the Trojan War - a ceremonial performance of the army of the Amazons - seemed a beautiful fairy tale for a long time. Only in the last hundred years and a half has it become clear that Homer's Iliad has a real background. The same goes for the legend of the Amazons.
The Swiss historian Jacob Bachofen (1815-1887) was the first to put forward a theory that at first caused heated debate, but now it seems more and more fair: in ancient times, people for a long time lived according to the laws of matriarchy. The tribes were headed by women. They disposed of the tribe's lands and all its reserves and hosted the dwellings.
In these ancient times, the customs of the Amazons would not surprise anyone. But in a world where warlike men ruled everyone for a long time, the Amazons embodied the distant past - "the deeds of bygone days, the tradition of deep antiquity." Was it possible for two different worlds to meet - ancient and new?
However, even in the twentieth century, in the wilds of remote tropical forests, one could meet people living in the Stone Age. Why couldn't the Greeks-Achaeans of the times of Mycenae and the Trojan War in one of their military campaigns meet a tribe living according to the laws of matriarchy? It seems that such a meeting would have struck them no less than the invasion of the one-eyed Cyclops.
The battle with them could be imprinted in the people's memory for many centuries, as in the Russian proverb "An uninvited guest is worse than a Tatar" raids of the Baskaks in the 13th-14th centuries were minted. But history will remain only a field for speculative play until archaeologists intervene. Only their findings can separate lies and reality, dispel the fog of possibilities and probabilities. What can archaeologists tell us today?
1928 - Soviet scientists, during excavations in the village of Zemo-Akhvala on the Black Sea coast, that is, in the area of the Amazon settlement, made a sensational discovery. They found a prehistoric burial, in which the "prince" was buried in full armor and fully armed, and there was also a double ax. But a detailed study of the skeleton showed that it was … the remains of a woman. Who was she? Queen of the Amazons?
1971 - again, this time in Ukraine, the burial of a woman buried with royal honors was discovered. Next to her lay the skeleton of a girl, equally luxuriously decorated. Together with them, weapons and gold treasures were put into the grave, as well as two men who died, as scientists found out, "an unnatural death." Here lay the queen of the Amazons with the slaves killed in her honor?
In 1993-1997. during excavations near the town of Pokrovka in Kazakhstan, the graves of some "warriors" were found. Notable gifts lay next to the female skeletons: arrowheads and daggers. As you can see, the women of this nomadic tribe knew how to stand up for themselves in battle. The burial is 2500 years old. Who was it? Also amazons? Perhaps the legend that after the Trojan War the surviving Amazons hid among the mountains of the Caucasus is right? From there for several centuries they could migrate to the Kazakh steppes.
To this day, no one could unequivocally link all these finds made in the Black Sea region and near the Caspian Sea with the legend of a tribe of women warriors who lived according to the laws of matriarchy. In addition, systematic excavations have not yet been carried out in Turkey, at the mouth of the Fermodont River, where, according to legend, the kingdom of the Amazons lay. Perhaps they were not a myth at all and did not disappear without a trace? Perhaps, soon researchers will find cultural monuments left by a mysterious and extraordinary, albeit backward for the Hellenic era, tribe - the Amazon tribe.
N. Nepomniachtchi