Amazons

hen we read the ancient Greek Myths, we see women warriors who were called the Amazons. Starting from Herodotes, the father of history, a lot of ancient historians talk definitely about them and tell stories of them. But, amongst the historical remains, there is nothing to tell us about Amazons; and, there is no trace to show us that the Amozons lived other than some legends. OK' Who were the Amazons? Did they leave any trace of their own civilization on the land of Anatolia, the place that hosted for many civilizations. OR... are they existing in the legends only?

e know about Amazons from the legends widely spoken and written. According to one legend, they came up from Libya, to the other from Caucasus. However, the real place where the legends rooted is in Anatolia. The early history of Anatolian Amazons is in as dark as the history of mentioned areas where they lived is in the mist. According to a legend, their root started from two Scythian princesses, Scolopotus and Hylinos, who were de-throned because of their cruelities. These two princesses, along with their families, followers and their families set up a state at the skirts of Caucasus. Like all moving tribes looking for a new homeland, they first killed and looted but the peoples invaded discreetly armed to defeat their Scythian masters in which they succeeded. All the men of Scythians were killed. The training of war was given to all, regardless of man or woman. The women who received the training were successful to flee.

he women, who did not have men and refused to meet the inferior condition of being prisoner of war by the previous peoples, set up a government entirely by the women around the Lake MEOTIS (today's Azov Sea in north of Black Sea.KCA). They elected two queens. One for the state business and one for the military. After setting up a powerful army, first just to try, they quitted being defensive but started on offensive assaults. In spite of this, they were far away from being successful; un-increasing of the population was a disadvantage for them. Even though they were believing in that marriage was a slavery because of the newly gained liberty, they thought of loosing their roots would have them loose the agreement made with nearby tribes. The male babies born as result of the temporary togetherness were given to their father and female ones were kept and trained either on foot or on horse to fight from the childhood.

t the beginning, the young tribe used to live at the banks of River Don. The name of the river comes from Tanais, son of Lysippe who was the queen of army. Tanais, was punished by Aphrodite; love, beauty and sex goddess, for he made her for his addiction for wars and not caring for marriage and being in love with his mother. Tanais, rather than going into an incest relation, he threw himself into a river and drawned. The river is named after him from that time on. Lysippe is the queen who brought the Amazons to Anatolia. The Amazons came to the Black Sea during her time and decided to establish a settlement amongst the forests to ascertain the western border. They named this city after one of their queens: Sinope (today's Sinop). They extended their domination until Colchis (The name of the area during the ancient times between Black Sea and the southern part of Caucasia). They named the mountains in the region as Amazon Mountains. They founded their capital city Themiseria (Today's TERME) on a promontary which was formed by a River Thermodon (Yeşilırmak) which flows into the Black Sea. This river was formed by the streams of Mts. Amazon.

he most proud of Amazons kept themselves busy with hunting and war exercises during the peace time. However, it is thought that the Anatolian Amazons did farming as well. The warriors who killed man were allowed to produce children during two months every year. Successful warriors went to the mountain separated them from Gargarians, their neighbor, and took the belt off of them which symbolised the liberty of virginity. When an Amazon became pregnant, she returned home, and, the baby-girl was kept at home and raised as a warrior, and the baby-boy was given to the Gargarians.

part from few months spent with Gargarians and farming, the country of Amazons looked like an army state. Economical, political and social structures based on wars. The warriors rode horses without harness but with reign only. According to a legend, these warriors were the first ones who introduced horse-riding to Anatolia. An Amazon, when she was real young, learned how to mock with man's society, they were at utmost level of warring ability and very successful in shooting arrows.

mazons made expeditions to far away areas from their bases at Black Sea Area for centuries. The queens founded cities like Ephesus, Smyrna and Thiba. Three tribes ruled by three queens (Marpesia, Lampado, Hippo) went to Thrace in the west and Syrian in the east. They built a primitive version of Temple of Artemis with the treasure obtained from the wars and celebrated the festivals in honor of the goddess.

trabo, the Greek geographer, is one of the ancient authors who mentions about the Amazons. He says the cities like Ephesus, Smyrna (today's İzmir), Kyme and Myrina in the Ionian and Aeolean areas were founded by them. The other author, who told us about living standards of Amazons, is Herodotus of Halicarnassus, the father of history. He mentions that Scythians called them "oirpata = man killers". One another present-day author is Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, Fisherman of Halicarnassus (today's Bodrum), mentions in his books that the Amazons established many cities in the Aegean Region of the land.

t is really difficult to say whether they were existing. There are several basic opinions and all of these opinions are supported by the legends until our times. First opinion specifies that the Amazons were warrior women who assisted their men. And, the second opinion is set forth to the effect that the foreigners who were attacking the Greek colonies were beardless thus considered to be women.

rocopius of Caesarea, owner of the first opinion, states: "The Huns, who were called Sabiris, like the other Hunic tribes, lived there (Caucasus) and, in reality, Amazons were seen here and, later, they camped near Themiseria which was a city where today's Amisos Amasya ) on the River Thermedon (Yeşilırmak) is located. But today, in spite of what Strabon and other authors wrote about Amazons around Caucasus Area, there is no evidence from their diary or names of them. The non-existence of woman race carrying the specilities of men sounds more logical. But the reality is that the tribes in these areas prepared raids to Asia with a large army leaving their women in a camp at River Thermedon. Then, the men, while they were looting the majority of Asia, were trapped by the local people and were killed to the last man. Therefore, none of them were able to return to their women in the fore-mentioned camp. From this time on, with the lack of provisions and with the fear that the local people would take a revenge, the women resumed the duty of men and armed themselves with the weapons left by the men and also were obliged to show manly courage until they were extinct. This is what happened. I believe that the Amazons were going to war with their men because Huns were raiding the Roman Territories often and there were woman warriors amongst the dead bodies they left behind..."

ccording to the opinion of Procopius, Caucasus was the castle of Amazons. Mountains, thick forests and un-explored areas were inhabited by them. Francisco de Ovellana, a 16^th century Spanish explorer, was attacked by members of Tapuyas Tribe on the banks of River Marnaon in South America. He stated that there were woman warriors amongst the tribe's soldiers and because of this, the river was named as "Amazon River".

econd opinion about Amazons is that they were men who shaved their beard. But before going further, we have to consider some circumstances to distinguish the men from women:

Like the Amazons, they had to be settled in Anatolia at the same time with the other tribes
The era when their power was at the peak must coincide with frequent victories of the Amazons and must not be after the 20^th and 15^th centuries BC.
The Achaeans had to be extinct before they migrated from Attica to Anatolia around 1100 BC.
They had to be without beard when the Greeks considered that the beardlessness was identical to being a woman.

t looks like to look for such a nation is more difficult than looking for Amazons. However, there is such a nation: The Hittites. The Hittites were amongst the largest civilizations of the world. The rise of the Hittites started in the early years of 1300 BC and they were at the peak of prosperity in 1296 BC when they beat the Egyptians. But, some time later, they collapsed after the suppression of the Sea Peoples who were migrating from the west. The capital city Hattusa was burned down in 1200 BC and the Hittites were forgotten until the 19^thcentury AD when the capital city was explored.

t this point, the beard gains importance. The Hittites did not grow bear like the Greeks did. Beard for the Greeks, although it was a problem during the wars and close street fights, was very important and pulling the beard of an opponent was giving the offender an advantage. For this reason, Alexander the Great ordered his soldiers to shave their beard in 331 BC before the Arbela War. Whatever the case may have been, the Greeks did not shave their beard until Alexander the Great. In those years, to be with hairs symbolised manhood and to be without them the womanhood. Razor was amongst the women's necessary upkeep or make-up materials but not men's. The Hitties' first contact with the Greeks was in the 12^th century BC and they adopted growing beard from the Greeks. On the friezes of the Hittites before the middle of the 12^th century BC, they are without beard but after that period, they are with beard. In the stories told about Hittites, the Greeks mocked them by calling them "Woman Warriors". It is possible to see this mistake in the Greek Mythology. The Greeks never saw a horse until they met the Hittites. Man-on-horse-back figure was created and depicted as Centaurs in the Greek myth. Likewise, the cyclops, single-eyed giants, were created by the Greeks after seeing colossal relieves of the Hittite Gods, emperors and important people carved on the rocks which were made in profile (side-ways) only.

eality or legend, woman warriors or men looked like women; the Amazons have place and effect not only on Anatolian peoples and Greeks, but in the world's history of today. The word "Amazon" is still in use today to stress the equality of Women with Men. If anything told about these courageous woman warriors is a legend, it is a legend which is engraved in the brains of the peoples of the world by means of novels, fictions, tv serials, stories, etc.