Amazonomachy
The recurring mythological battles between Greek heroes and the Amazons, depicted on temples and pottery as a symbol of civilisation's triumph over the "other."
The Meaning of Amazonomachy
The Amazonomachy — battles between Greeks and Amazons — appeared repeatedly in Greek mythology and art. Heracles' ninth labour required him to obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. During this expedition, a misunderstanding led to battle, and Heracles killed Hippolyta (or Theseus took her, provoking the Amazon invasion of Attica). Theseus fought the Amazons at Athens itself, where they besieged the Acropolis. The Amazons were depicted on the Parthenon metopes alongside the Gigantomachy, Centauromachy, and the Sack of Troy — four mythological wars symbolising order defeating chaos. During the Trojan War, the Amazon queen Penthesilea fought for Troy and was killed by Achilles, who fell in love with her as she died. The Amazon warrior culture — women who rode, fought, hunted, and governed — fascinated and disturbed Greek male culture in equal measure.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Amazon company was named by Jeff Bezos after the Amazon River, which was itself named by Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana in 1542 after he was attacked by fierce indigenous warriors he compared to the mythological Amazons. The river's name, and therefore the company's, traces back to Greek mythology about warrior women. Every Amazon package delivered is etymologically connected to Heracles' quest for Hippolyta's girdle.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Theseus and the Amazons
💭 conceptNarrative
The Athenian king's conflict with the warrior women that brought war to the gates of Athens itself
Amazon
💭 conceptLanguage and culture
An English word meaning a tall, strong woman or a female warrior, derived from the Amazons, the legendary all-female warrior nation of Greek mythology
Amazonomachy
💭 conceptBattle of Greeks and Amazons
The Amazonomachy was the legendary battle between the Athenians and the Amazons who invaded Athens — depicted alongside the Centauromachy as a key symbol of Greek triumph.
Centauromachy
💭 conceptBattle of Lapiths and Centaurs
The Centauromachy was the famous battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs at the wedding of Pirithous — it became Greek art's favourite symbol for the clash between civilisation and barbarism.
Gigantomachy
💭 conceptwar, cosmology
The great battle between the Olympian gods and the Giants, fought to defend the divine order established after the Titanomachy.
Centauromachy
💭 conceptbattle
The battle between Lapiths and Centaurs at the wedding of Pirithous when drunken centaurs tried to carry off the Lapith women.
Diomedes
💭 conceptwar
The extended battle sequence in Iliad Books 5-6 where Diomedes wounds both Aphrodite and Ares, the only mortal to injure two Olympians.
Aristeia of Diomedes
💭 conceptwar, heroism
The battle sequence in Iliad Book 5 where Diomedes, empowered by Athena, wounds both Aphrodite and Ares, achieving the extraordinary feat of harming immortal gods.
The Trojan War
💭 conceptWar, fate, heroism
A ten-year siege of Troy by a coalition of Greek kings, sparked by the abduction of Helen and shaped by the rivalries of the gods.
Theomachy
💭 conceptmythology
Battle against or among the gods — narratives in which gods fight each other or in which mortals dare to oppose divine power directly.
Aspis
💭 conceptwarfare, art
The elaborately decorated shield of Heracles described in a poem attributed to Hesiod, depicting scenes of gods, war, and daily life in a tradition echoing the Shield of Achilles.
Amazons of Themiscyra
🐉 creaturewarriors, women
The warrior women of Themiscyra on the Black Sea coast who fought, hunted, and governed independently of men, later confirmed by archaeology as based on real Scythian warrior women.