Konstantinos Konstantinidis – Amphiktyon
According to tradition, the Sauromatian Amazons descended from the Themiscyrian Amazons. During an expedition of Heracles or Theseus, the Greeks sent three ships carrying captive Amazons to the Euxine Pontus (Black Sea). The Amazons revolted, killed the guards and sailors, and because they did not know the art of navigation, the ships were left at the mercy of the waves and currents.
Eventually, the ships drifted ashore at Lake Maeotis. There the Amazons landed safely, seized many horses, and plundered the Scythian land.
The Mixing of Scythians and Amazons
The Scythians were astonished and could not understand how these women of a different race had appeared in their country. When they captured some prisoners, they realized they were women and admired their courage and skill in warfare. For this reason, they desired to have children with them.
After learning their number, they sent an equal body of young men near them and observed their movements without disturbing them. After some time, the Amazons grew bolder and at midday came out from their camp in pairs, wandering around the camp of the young men.
The young men also gained courage, approached them, and became friendly with them. Soon the two camps united into one, and each young man took as wife the woman he had first met. The women learned the language of the men, but the men were unable to learn the language of the women.
Later, the men invited them to come to their parents, but the Amazons refused. As they said, they could neither coexist with the local women nor live among the relatives of their husbands, because they had previously harmed their land and there was always the fear of revenge.
Thus, they departed together with their husbands, traveling for three days eastward of the River Tanais and another three days north of Lake Maeotis.
There the Sauromatians and their descendants finally settled. They preserved, though in corrupted form, the language of their ancestors, as well as the dietary customs, traditions, and manners of the Scythians, because the women never fully learned the language of their husbands.
During military expeditions, the women accompanied the men and fought on horseback, wearing male attire and fighting beside them. For this reason, the migrations of the tribe were family migrations involving the entire people.
The maidens remained unmarried until they had killed a man in battle. The Scythians called the Amazons “androctones” — “slayers of men.”
Commentary
These are the accounts given by Herodotus concerning the origin of the Sauromatians and their connection with the Amazons. This narrative appears mainly in his Histories and constitutes one of the most important ancient traditions concerning the warrior women of the steppe.
The Sauromatians believed in Zeus and especially worshipped Artemis and Ares.
This tradition contains particularly interesting folkloric and sociological elements:
- women fought on horseback alongside men,
- migrations were family-based and not merely military,
- women preserved a distinct language and customs,
- and there existed a ritual connection between marriage and martial valor.
Many of these characteristics of the Scytho-Sarmatian peoples are confirmed by archaeological discoveries. In several steppe burials, women have been found interred with bows, spears, horses, and military equipment.
For this reason, many modern historians believe that behind the Greek tradition of the Amazons there existed a real historical and social background and not merely a mythological invention.
The Scythians moved “with women and children,” meaning that the entire tribe migrated together. During winter they moved southward to milder climates with their herds, while in summer they traveled farther north. They are considered quintessential peoples of the steppe.
This demonstrates a nomadic civilization very different from the classical Greek city-states. Women participated more actively in public and military life than in the Mediterranean world.
The Amazons were called “androctones” (“slayers of men”), a designation reflecting both the fear and admiration they inspired among the Greeks.
The Scythians offered sacrifices to Ares, which distinguished them from the Greeks, who especially honored Zeus Xenios, protector of hospitality and strangers. These differing ways of life and cultural perceptions contributed to the hostility between the two worlds.
Problems of Adaptation and Social Integration
The transition from a nomadic way of life to a more organized urban civilization has historically been difficult for many peoples, including certain Roma populations, who have faced challenges of social integration. In some cases, this has contributed to phenomena of marginalization and criminality, such as theft, robbery, drug trafficking, and organized crime.
Phenomena of Lawlessness in Crete
In certain mountainous and isolated regions of Crete, phenomena such as vendettas, illegal weapon possession, organized criminal activity, drug trafficking, and strong localism have occasionally been observed. These phenomena are often associated with geographic isolation, traditions of armed self-justice, distrust toward central authority, and a misunderstood concept of personal freedom.
Similar difficulties of social adaptation may also appear among immigrant populations in host countries, occasionally leading to increased delinquency and insecurity within society.
(22/5/26)
Amphiktyon – Major General (Ret.) Konstantinos Konstantinidis
Writer – Member of the Society of Greek Writers
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