10. A race of legendary female warriors found in Greek mythology, the Amazons remained disputed until modern archaeological discoveries breathed new life into the claims
A tribe of warrior women from Greek mythology, the Amazons were regarded as among the greatest and most legendary warriors of the ancient world. Believed to be descendants of Ares, the God of War, and Harmonia, the Goddess of Harmony, these women supposedly dedicated their lives to the perfection of martial prowess. Appearing prominently in several of the most famous Greek narratives, most notably during the Trojan War where Queen Penthesilea was allegedly slain by Achilles, for the preponderance of history the existence of the Amazons has been a scorned aspect of the Greek mythological canon. Enduring skepticism to become a generally accepted truth, by the Dark Ages the Amazons had fallen into mere legend.
Although some historians, such as Palaephatus, contend the Amazons was merely a product of human error, with enemies mistaking men for women due to their clothing, shaved beards, and long hair, others have provided alternative theories commonly involving Asia Minor. Supporting the latter, recent archaeological findings have uncovered numerous burial sites of female Sarmatian warriors – with the Sarmatian themselves long associated with the Amazonian mythology. With as many as twenty percent of all warrior tombs in the ancient territory containing women, this discovery has provided new impetus to believe in the Amazons as real historical individuals.