Warrior women Flashcards
Who were the Amazons?
A mythological race of warrior women who lived on the Eastern borders of the Greek world
Where were the Amazons from?
Eastern borders of the Greek world
Amazon society was:
Matriarchal
Most versions of Amazon myths state that:
Amazon society was exclusively female
In Amazon society, women:
Governed
Farmed
Fought
The Greek historian Herodotus tells us that Amazons…
Rode horses
Hunted
Fought alongside male allies
Amazons were sometimes rumoured to only have…
One breast
- May have been symbolic of their rejection of feminity
- Could have also been to improve their archery and spear throwing skills
How does the Bassae freize show the strength and power of the Amazons?
- They were fighting a well known warrior, Heracles
- shows their fighting prowess as they were keeping up with him
Who was Penthesilea?
- one of the most famous Amazon Queens
- Daughter of Ares and Otrera
- best known for leading her people in the Trojan war
What was the name of Penthesilea’s sister?
Hippolyta
Penthesilea story:
- she joined the war in search of a glorious death after accidentally killing her sister
- Penthesilea and her Amazons arrived late to the Trojan war
- Achille’s had slayed the Trojans best fighter, Hektor
- Penthesilea promised the Trojans she would kill Achilles
- she was unable to fulfil her promise as Achilles killed her
Penthesilea was rumoured to have had:
An affair with Achilles
- ‘fell in love with the Amazon after her death’
How did Hippolyta die?
She was accidentally killed by Penthesilea during a hunting trip
Which Greek poet describes Penthesilea and her Amazons coming to Troy?
Quintus Smyrnaeus
Who is Camilla?
A Volscian princess
- she appears in the Aeneid
Camilla has not been trained in:
Weaving
In Virgils description of Camilla:
- combines masculinity and feminity
- seems godlike in her abilities
Virgil describes Camilla as:
- Able to run faster than the wind
Who are Camilla’s parents?
King Metabus and Casmilla
How would Amazons add to their population?
- Once a year they would visit a neighbouring tribe in order to get pregnant
- Any girl born would be raised as an Amazon, whereas any boys would be sent to live with their fathers, made into slaves, or abandoned and left to die
What breast would Amazon’s remove?
- Right
What was Camilla’s childhood like?
- When Camilla was a baby, her father, Metabus was exiled
- During their escape, they were cut off by a river and because he didn’t want to swim across and risk Camilla drowning, he attached her to a spear and threw it across the river
What did Metabus do when he threw Camilla on the spear?
- He offered a prayer to Diana
- He promised Camilla’s life would be dedicated to Diana if she survived
How was Camilla raised?
- Metabus remained in exile, as no city would welcome him, so Camilla was raised in the wilderness
- She was fed milk from the udders of wild horses
- She was taught how to use a javelin and a bow and arrows
How was Camilla described on the battlefield?
- Her aristeia lasted multiple lines
- She’s described as an Amazon (not a literal description)
- She’s accompanied by a band of maiden warriors
- Camilla causes such fear in her enemies that they start to retreat
What was Camilla’s downfall?
- Her desire for spoils of war
- She notices a warrior called Chloreus wearing armour made of gold and decorated with purple
- An enemy soldier, named Arruns, took advantage of Camilla’s distraction and threw his spear from a great distance and killed her
How is Camilla’s death portrayed?
- Arruns flees as Camilla lies dying, making Arruns appear cowardly
- As Camilla dies, her last act is to give instructions to her companion to call for Turnus- she regains her self control and ensures her soldiers won’t be left without a leader
