The Dirt on the Past: Amazons, the Lives and Legends of Warrior Women

Join us for our fascinating discussion with Stanford scholar, Adrienne Mayor, about her book, The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World. We discuss the realities and myths behind these legendary women recently popularized by the popular Wonder Woman films. We get to the heart of the word, Amazon, discussing its origins. We have a meaningful conversation around Scythian burials and the archaeological evidence presented in these tombs, that of women warriors buried with quiver and arrows, iron spearheads and lance points , knives, and pebble missiles for a sling buried next to them in these Kurgan mounds. The skeletal remains of these women show they actively participated in battle with the grisly evidence marking their bones in the way of arrowheads burrowed in long bones, battle-ax marks cleaved into their skulls, and ribs slashed by swords. We also talk about Amazon tattoos, often depicted in Greek vase painting and on mummified individuals depicting geometric patterns and animal motifs.