The Amazons
In Our Time
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Introduction
The Amazons were said to be a nation of female warriors who made frequent appearances in Greek and Roman mythology and art. According to the tradition, they lived near the Black Sea and were ruled by a queen called Hippolyta. From the Middle Ages onward, European writers rediscovered the stories of the Amazons which feature in the Canterbury Tales and in Boccaccio's Decameron. But where does this tradition come from? And why did the Amazon prove so fascinating to generations of artists and writers? Is there any hard evidence for their existence? We need to discuss the Amzons are Paul Cartlids, Agile Aventis Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge
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