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Since the time of Homer,

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ancient stories told of fierce warriors [br]dwelling beyond the Mediterranean world,

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striking fear into the mightiest [br]empires of antiquity.

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Their exploits were[br]recounted by many epic poets.

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They fought in the legendary Trojan War [br]and their grand army invaded Athens.

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Jason and the Argonauts [br]passed by their shores,

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barely avoiding their deadly arrows.

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These formidable fighters faced off [br]against the greatest champions of myth:

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Heracles,

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Theseus,

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and Achilles.

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And every single one [br]of these warriors was a woman.

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The war-loving Amazons,[br]"the equals of men" in courage and skill,

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were familiar to everyone in[br]ancient Greece.

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Amazon battle scenes decorated [br]the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis;

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paintings and statues of Amazons[br]adorned temples and public spaces.

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Little girls played with Amazon dolls,

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and Amazons were a favorite subject [br]on Greek vase paintings.

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In Greek art and literature,

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they were depicted as daring [br]and desirable,

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but also terrifying and deadly,

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and doomed to die [br]at the hands of Greek heroes.

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Were Amazons merely figures of myth,[br]or something more?

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It was long assumed [br]that they were imaginary,

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like the cyclops and centaurs.

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But curiously enough, [br]stories from ancient Egypt,

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Persia,

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the Middle East,

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Central Asia,

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India,

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and China

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also featured Amazon-like warrior women.

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And Amazons were described in ancient[br]historical accounts, not just myths.

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Writers like Herodotus, Plato, [br]and Strabo never doubted their existence.

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So who were the real women [br]warriors known as Amazons?

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Ancient historians located [br]the Amazon homeland in Scythia,

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the vast territory stretching from

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the Black Sea across [br]the steppes of Central Asia.

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This immense region was populated [br]by nomadic tribes

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whose lives centered on horses,

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archery,

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and warfare.

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Their culture flourished for about[br]1,000 years beginning around 800 BC.

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Feared by Greeks, Persians, and[br]the Chinese, the Scythians left

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no written records.[br]But we can find clues in how

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their neighbors described them,[br]as well as in archaeology.

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Scythians' ancestors were [br]the first to ride horses

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and they invented the recurve bow.

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And, because a female mounted archer [br]could be as fast and as deadly as a male,

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all children were trained [br]to ride and shoot.

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Women hunted and fought alongside men,[br]using the same weapons.

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The harsh landscape [br]and their nomadic lifestyle

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created its own form of equality.

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This amazed the ancient Greeks, [br]whose women led restricted indoor lives.

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The earliest stories of the Scythians, [br]and Amazons,

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may have been exaggerated rumors.

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But as the Greeks began to trade around [br]the Black Sea and further east,

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their portrayals became more realistic.

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Early depictions of Amazons showed them [br]with Greek weapons and armor.

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But in later representations,

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they wielded bows and battle-axes,

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rode horses,

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and wore pointed caps [br]and patterned trousers

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characteristic of steppe nomads.

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Until recently, no one was sure [br]how strong the links were

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between Scythians [br]and the Amazons of Greek myth.

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But recent archaeological discoveries [br]have provided ample evidence.

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More than 1,000 ancient Scythian kurgans,[br]or burial mounds, have been excavated,

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containing skeletons and weapons.

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Archaeologists had previously assumed

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that weapons could only [br]belong to male warriors.

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But modern DNA analysis so far

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has revealed that about 300 skeletons [br]buried with weapons

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belong to females ranging[br]in age from 10 to 45,

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and more are being found every year.

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The women's skeletons [br]show battle injuries:

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ribs slashed by swords,

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skulls bashed by battle-axes,

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and arrows embedded in bones.

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In classical art and writings,

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the fearsome Amazons were always portrayed[br]as brave and heroic.

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In male-dominated classical Greece, [br]however,

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the very idea of strong women who gloried [br]in freedom and war aroused mixed feelings.

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And yet, the Greeks were also drawn[br]to egalitarian ideals.

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Is it possible that the mythic realm [br]of thrilling Amazon tales

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was a way to imagine women[br]and men as equal companions?