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Women fighters in ancient Greece. - hoplite14gr - 11-09-2006
Greek women usually had more sense than puting themselves into harms way. And most people think that they were cowring at home.
The only solid refernces we have on Greek women engage in battle are:
Spartan women would be probably quick with the dagger if a Helot became out of order although no references exist.
Argive women inspired by their queen manning the walls of Argos against the Spartans after the Argive army was destroyed at Kleonae.
King Kleomenis did not attack them "scorning to fight women" according to Herodotus.
Platean women "roof-tileing" the Theban "Epilektoi" 427 B.C - Thukidides.
Phokian women fighting as guerillas against the Celts 279 B.C - Pausanias.
Argive women "roof-tileing" the Ipirotic cavalry 227 B.C - Plutrachos
Spartan women in the defence of Gythio 196 B.C. and then Sparta 195 B.C. against the Romans - Plutarchos, Polyvios
Possibly the legend of Atalande and Aetolia suggest that in the Geoemtric period the aristokratic women of Aetolians and Lokrians might have followed the men in action but there is no real proof.
Kind regards
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - Ioannis - 11-09-2006
And of course we have the case of the Amazons!
:lol:
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - Ioannis - 11-09-2006
This entry originally appeared in: Sandler, S., (ed.), 2002. Ground Warfare: An International Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara: 25-26.
Amazons
Race of warrior women described by the Greeks.
The Amazons were thought to have been fierce fighters who from their birth were brought up to be warriors. The name Amazon is believed to derive from the Greek word amazos (breastless), referring to the legend that the Amazons had their left breast seared during childhood to facilitate the use of a bow. In addition to the bow, the Amazons, who usually fought from horseback, used swords, double axes, and crescent-shaped shields. Various Greek myths and works of literature refer to encounters between Greeks and Amazons, such as The Iliad and The Labors of Hercules.
Though their place of origin remains in dispute, the lands most associated with the Amazons are Thermiscrya in the mouth of River Thermodon (in modern-day Turkey), the Black Sea region, and Libya.
Until very recently, the Amazons were seen only as a mythological phenomenon. Archaeological work in Kazakhstan, however, has brought to light female burials accompanied by weapons, suggesting that the Greek myths may have had some basis in fact. In particular, seven female graves contained iron swords and daggers, bronze arrowheads, and whetstones for sharpening the weapons. In addition, the curved leg bones of a teenage girl attest to a life on horseback, while an arrowhead found in the skeleton of another female suggests that she had been killed in battle. Although these women, who were members of the Sarmatian tribe, cannot have been the Amazons of Greek myth (who were said to have lived far to the west), they may have been members of similar nomadic tribes who occupied the Eurasian steppes in the Iron Age.
Ioannis Georganas
See also:
Ancient Warfare
References and further reading:
Davis-Kimball, Jeannine. “Warrior Women of the Eurasian Steppes.â€
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - hoplite14gr - 11-09-2006
Well Amazon have been discussed.
I intented to narrow down on Greek women.
Kind regards
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - Ioannis - 11-09-2006
Artemisia is a very interesting case.
Artemisia was daughter of Lygdamis and queen of Halicarnassus.
She took part in the Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE as an ally of the Persians, commanding five warships. At some point in the battle, Artemisia, in order to avoid captivity by the Greeks, rammed and sunk a Persian ship. That action saved her life because the Greeks thought she had joined their ranks.
However, Artemisia immediately went back to Xerxes. According to Herodotus, it was then that the Persian king declared “My men have turned into women and my women into men!â€
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - Susanne - 11-11-2006
And then, we have Clytaimnestra...
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - hoplite14gr - 11-11-2006
No Clytaimnestra is your typical uperclass cheated housewife.
A species that survived to our times and it i smore dangerous than eny military formation when provoced :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
Kind regards
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - Robert Vermaat - 11-11-2006
Quote:No Clytaimnestra is your typical uperclass cheated housewife.
A species that survived to our times and it i smore dangerous than eny military formation when provoced :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
Kind regards
Indeed, they existed from the Bronze Age right up to now...
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - Craig Gascoigne - 11-15-2006
What representations exist for light armoured and heavy armoured amazons in classical sources.
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - Marcus Germanicus Ferox - 11-15-2006
Hi Craig
Pottery is always a good start - lots of depictions of Scythian/Amazon types.
I have a book at home but can't remember the name of it - sorry mate - will bring it with me tomorrow.
Try "googling" - images - ancient greek pottery.
Also try here - I haven't looked for ages - might be something for you.
http://www.royalathena.com/index.html
Happy hunting
Mark.
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - hoplite14gr - 11-15-2006
Craig, if you go to the Allies & Enemies section there are posted images of amazons.
Now, most of the women like Platean Spartan that found themselves defending walls would have the femail attire of the period and improvised weapons.
The 279 B.C. women guerillas reconstruction is a bit of a problem.
The potery depicting Artemis and Atalanda must be used as base.
The footware would probably be carbatinae and heavy cloacks of goat wool tht still survive in remote areas with the herders.
Weapons would include knifes daggers javelins axes meatceavers even captured Galatian weapons.
Kind regards
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - Arthes - 11-17-2006
Greetings,
well I think that to the ancient Greeks, aside from the Spartans which you mention, respectable women were considered rather like Victorian children who were seen and not heard, in this case not seen and not heard - unless giving instructions to the servants or attending a religious festival...only the slaves and non respectable women were seen on a daily basis..
I however, consider that Spartan women probably did join the ranks on occasions....which would explain some of those beardless Spartans....lol
Below are some of the known Greek women warriors/fighters...taken from a short report on women warriors by E.Cropper of the Hoplite Association:-
Artemisia as already mentioned
Amastris wife of Dionysius of Heracluria...she conquered and united 4 settlements thereby establishing her own city state..
Telessilla a poet of the 5th century BCE who rallied and led the women of Argos with war songs and chants
Arachidamia of Sparta who led female troops and fought against Pyrrhus during the seige of Sparta in 3rd century BCE
Princess Chelidonis who captured female warriors on the city walls during a seige of Sparta in 280BCE
and of course......the Illyrians trained women in weaponry and war...
There was a certain Epirote queen and warrior princess of mixed Illyrian/Macedonian blood who led thier own armies too.... :wink:
Depends on your viewpoint of the Macedonians at the time....lol
Book XIII. 560 f
Duris of Samos says that the first war between two women was that waged by Olympias and Eurydice; in it Olympias marched forth rather like a Bacchant, to the accompaniment of tambourines, whereas Eurydice was armed cap-a-pie in the Macedonian fashion, having been trained in military matters by Cynna, the princess from Illyria.
Didn't one of the Berenikes fight in battles too......?
regards
Arthes
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - hoplite14gr - 11-17-2006
Women of the Doric clans were nothing like the the female type coming through the Athenian texts.
In Gortyna women could represent thmeselves in court and peobably in most Doric states.
In most cities the had also property rights and could mange proprty independent of men.
The image of the docile spouse as comes from the Athenian texts represent Athens and some Ionic city states not the whole of Greece.
Telsesila with the Argive women manned the walls of Argos after Kleonae and tempered the wrath of Keomenes himself. He was mindful of rooftiles I guess :lol: :twisted:
In the mountains regions of Epiros the women of the Molossoi might face an unexpevted raid from the Ilyrians and were not squamish of spilling blood.
As I sais womwn usually were not expected to take the field.
The female guerillas of 279 B.C are an exception.
Kind regards
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - Anonymous - 11-22-2006
The view you have of women in Greek society, Arthes, was that taught in this country for a long time; it tended to see the issue in terms of Sparta v. the rest of Greece, but with Athens standing for the rest. Stefanos has outlined what seems to be the current view which, interestingly, shows the birthplace of democracy as the polis most inimical to women.
Re: Women fighters in ancient Greece. - Craig Gascoigne - 11-24-2006
Thanks everyone for the help. We have number females interested in doing the greek stuff and amazons are alway mentioned ( to much Xena I think). The classical represenations were good as the kit either looks like the standard heavy infantry stuff or peltast kit, thus we can say just dress like a hoplite or peltast.
One of the interest thing we have found with women joining the drill is as most women are shorter in high it upset the march of our phallnx as the sheild being lower catch the taller guys legs.