Politicizing the Amazons: Discerning Ancient Greek Identity and Otherness in Fifth-Century BCE Literature and Art

open_access
Open Access
Author:
Bisbing, Hannah
Area of Honors:
Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Anna Irene Peterson, Thesis Supervisor
Mary Lou Zimmerman Munn, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Amazons
Ancient Greece
Greeks
Persians
Persian Wars
Centaurs
Parthenon
Stoa Poikile
Athenian Treasury at Delphi
women
Others
Herodotus
Diodorus Siculus
myth
hero
heroes
History
politics
culture
identity
architecture
metopes
Wonder Woman
Scythians
polis
Amazonomachy
barbarian
barbarians
barbaric
Athens
citizenship
citizens
patriarchy
matriarchy
feminism
feminist
Heracles
Theseus
warriors
female warriors
binary
autochthony
civilized
Themiscyra
Abstract:
In ancient Greek thought, the Amazons existed as an unnatural male/female hybrid whose predetermined fate was death at the hands of Greek heroes. This project will critically analyze prominent myths, historical accounts, and artistic representations of the Amazons, a mythological women warrior tribe who dwelled within the Eurasian Steppes. Specifically, I argue that the Amazon figure underwent dramatic transformations in response to significant historical events and political climates, although their ultimate extermination remained unchanged. Emphasizing the profound ideological influences that the polis and the Persian Wars had on Greek society – especially Athens – I examine the resulting politicization of the Amazons to embody Greek conceptions of Eastern, barbaric, and effeminized non-Greek peoples. To conclude, I briefly address modern reconfigurations of the Amazon myth, specifically addressing the comic book hero Wonder Woman.