Warrior Women of Greek Mythology: The Show Notes

We’re starting off the show notes with a clip from the 2017 Wonder Woman movie. Amazons vs. Germans in World War I. Because why the hell not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIfPq3biW_o

One of our most important sources for this episode was Adrienne Mayor’s Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World. We CANNOT say enough in praise of this book. Just do yourself a giant favor and buy it:

We also got a lot out of John Man’s Searching for the Amazons: The Real-Life Warrior Women of the Ancient World. 

On to our ancient sources. These were great resources for original accounts of the Amazon myths:

The Complete Works of Diodorus Siculus 

Apollodorus’ The Library, translated by James George Frasier:

Quintus Smyrnaeus’ The Fall of Troy (A.S. Way Translation):

Herodotus’ Histories, David Grene translation:

Plutarch’s Lives of Theseus (Bernadotte Perrin translation):

Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War:

Aristotle also came into play here (warning; he makes you ragey):

And the ever-classy Robert Graves:

For insight into women’s roles in ancient Greece, we used Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity by Sarah Pomeroy:

Also, here are some articles along these lines that we found useful:

“Not Worth the Rearing: The Causes of Infant Exposure in Ancient Greece,” by Cynthia Patterson

“Law, Custom, and Myth: Aspects of the Social Position of Women in Ancient Greek Society,” by John Gould

And! Podcasts we love that talk about the Amazons and women in ancient Greece include:

Myths and Legends: Amazons: Wonder Women

Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby!: They’re Not So Awful After All, Ancient Greek Women in Herodotus’ History

Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby!: Theseus, Ruiner of Women and All Around Awful Person

The History of Ancient Greece Podcast: A series of episodes on women in ancient Greece, including women in religion; abortion, pregnancy, and divorce; and marriage and domesticity.

The Trojan War Podcast: Achilles’ Heel