Warrior, Priestess, Queen: Scythian Women & Their Roles

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Scythians were a group of people originating in Central Asia that migrated to what is now Ukraine and Southern Russia from the 8th to the 7th centuries BCE. They are well-known for their nomadic way of life, horseback warfare, and apparent lack of a patriarchal society. There is significant evidence that Scythian women were treated as equals to Scythian men.

I will use thorough research of archaeological sites and findings, scholarly articles, and relevant literature. I will show Scythian artifacts as well as artifacts from other societies depicting the Scythians.

I found evidence of the roles of Scythian women through research of Scythian burial sites, art, weaponry, and clothing. There is also evidence spread throughout ancient Greek society - art, myths, writings of Greek historian Herodotus, etc.

Though the “Scythians” may not be known by many people, the “Amazons” are. Though the depiction of Scythian women as Amazons began in ancient Greece, it continues today in modern media. The impact these women have had on women around the world for thousands of years is immense. I wish to shed more light on who these women were, and the important role they had in their society and ours.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 41673.0