Which Ancient civilazation would you prefer to live under?

**Spartan198** · 12-31-2008, 04:30

Unlike other Greek poleis, Sparta held high regard for women. They even fought with the army in the cases of Arachidamia and Chelidonis.

Originally Posted by YouHaveRecieved

This probably because this has been discussed before, maybe not literally but you know what I mean.

Actually, this very same topic did come up a while ago.

**YouHaveRecieved** · 12-31-2008, 13:40

Nice guess there by me.

Subrosa, weren't the Amazons actually led by women so wouldn't that just wipe every other civilization out the door.

**SubRosa** · 12-31-2008, 17:09

Originally Posted by Spartan198

Unlike other Greek poleis, Sparta held high regard for women.

That is true. If I had to live in any Greek City State it would be Sparta. I would only rarely have to see my husband, and have a much better life than women anywhere else in the Greek world.

Originally Posted by YouHaveRecieved

Subrosa, weren't the Amazons actually led by women so wouldn't that just wipe every other civilization out the door.

The Amazons were women, exclusively. However, they were also a legend, like Centaurs and Herakles, not an actual historically documented society. Most people point to civilizations such as that of the Minoans and the Scythian-Sarmatians as being the probable nucleus of Amazon myths.

**YouHaveRecieved** · 12-31-2008, 17:31

Correct me if I am wrong but did they not raid Mikra Asia? Or was that just, as you say, Sarmation relatives but people thought they were Amazons.

**SubRosa** · 01-01-2009, 03:12

Do you mean Asia Minor? That was one of the places the legends said they lived. Their city of Themiskyra was located on the coast of the Black Sea, by the Thermodon river. It is roughly where Sinope is in RTW. Herakles went there as part of his labours in order to take a magical belt from Queen Hippolyta. That is not history though, but pure myth.

**YouHaveRecieved** · 01-01-2009, 13:47

OK, yeah Mikra Asia is the exact same as Asia Minor. So is it more like the battle of Troy myth as in it could most likely have been like that but there is no proof?

**SubRosa** · 01-01-2009, 18:24

Yes, something like that. Obviously there was a historical basis in societies that neighbor Greece where women were not so suppressed. The word amazon is the Ionian Greek form of the Iranian word ha-mazan, meaning "fighting together." The regular Greek form would be hamazon, but over time it simply became amazon. This implies not an exclusively female society like we see in the myths, but one where women had a relatively equal status to men, fighting alongside them as members of the warriour aristocracy.