Amazons in Samsun
Descended from (the god of war) Ares and (the naiad) Harmonia, Amazons created their own matriarchal society and warrior tribe. Their warrior soul and powerful images come from Ares. And, sense of unity come from uniter goddess Harmonia. When they settled the town of Themiscyra on the coast of the Euxine, they provided the continuation of their race mating with Gargarean men for a short time each year without marriage. When the children were born male, they sent to the Gargareans, crippled or even killed because they disrupt the unity of female power and integrity. Amazons also used men as slaves to kept for mating. Young Amazons drink horse milk to gain much more power in the body.
They cut men’s legs and arms to prevent they're challenging the sexual and hunting power of Amazons with especially devoted to Artemis. They showed their loyalty to Artemis by making The Temple of Artemis. When they entered puberty, these women also cut one of the breasts of themselves to use arrows better in the wartime. They entirely ruled their society and their principal pursuits were hunting, agriculture, war, and training. Amazons defended their own land and fought both on foot and on horseback. They fought on the side of Trojans in Trojan War but Achilles killed most of them and survivors escaped other lands.
Transition to the settled life has affected the place of women in society and dignity. Women activity increased around the 1200 B.C. period. The rise of women status has led to matriarchal life in some societies over time. The Amazons are the warriors as the representatives of the cloistered Anatolia. The Amazons lived on the edge of the Terme river and ruled that area for a long time. They were the worshipers of Kybele who symbolized the importance given to women. It is seen that the Amazons are wearing down a light shirt which they put down on their right shoulders in a figure in Greek fine arts and they are tied with a strap over their hips and they leave naked their arms, legs, and feet. When they dress like Asians, they cover their bodies tightly up to their necks, and they wear a kind of swimsuit on their legs and wear a Phrygian head on their heads. The Amazons were just covering a hood instead of a saddle on horses. They would throw a very nice arrow on the horse and throw spears. During the Trojan War, the Amazons kept their sides of the Trojan people and fought with great courage.
Samsun has built an island and a village to preserve and remind the history of the Amazon women at Batı Park. There, I saw how Amazon women live and how they fight. Amazon Island in Batı Park is really built as an island. A small canal provides access to the island, separated from the mainland by bridges. Canoe trips are also organized in the channel gap. When you enter the Amazon Island, you are welcomed by two great lion figures and a huge (12.5 meters) Amazon statue. She is depicted as the guard of the island with his shield in her left hand and her spear in her right hand.
Seeing her like that felt really good because it reminded me that how can live without the harsh rules of patriarchy. Moreover, there are battle scenes of the Amazon women on the sides of Trojans that inspired me to search such matriarchal societies. Amazon Village lies 150 meters behind the rest of the lions in the east. When I entered there, I realized the everyday lifestyle of the Amazon women with their clothes, their cave-like homes, the war tools they used, and the animated wax sculptures. The most interesting thing to me was that there is always spiral symbols on Amazon’s clothes. When I search on that, I found nothing and somehow it became the favorite symbol for me because it always reminds me how women are both consciously and unconsciously united when we connect the idea of cosmos in the universe and spiral approach.
