Searching for the Amazons: The Real Warrior Women of the Ancient World by John Man (PDF)

Description

A deeply researched and sweeping history that redefines our understanding of the Amazons and their culture, tracking the ancient legend into the modern world and examining its significance today.Since the time of the ancient Greeks we have been fascinated by accounts of the Amazons, an elusive tribe of hard-fighting, horse-riding female warriors. Equal to men in battle, legends claimed they cut off their right breasts to improve their archery skills and routinely killed their male children to purify their ranks. For centuries people believed in their existence and attempted to trace their origins. Artists and poets celebrated their battles and wrote of Amazonia. Spanish explorers, carrying these tales to South America, thought they lived in the forests of the world’s greatest river, and named it after them. In the absence of evidence, we eventually reasoned away their existence, concluding that these powerful, sexually liberated female soldiers must have been the fantastical invention of Greek myth and storytelling. Until now. Following decades of new research and a series of groundbreaking archeological discoveries, we now know these powerful warrior queens did indeed exist. In Searching for the Amazons, John Man travels to the grasslands of Central Asia—from the edge of the ancient Greek world to the borderlands of China—to discover the truth about the truth about these women whose legend has resonated over the centuries.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Absorbing and beautifully written. A thrilling account. ” ― The Guardian”A great historical resource about a mysterious people that also shows how women, through the ages, have gathered strength from each other and continue to do so today.” ― Kirkus Reviews”Historian and travel writer Man delves into the rich historical foundations undergirding the myth of the Amazons. Man’s breezy style is engaging.” ― Publishers Weekly”One could ask for no better storyteller or analyst than John Man. ” — Simon Sebag Montefiore, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of THE ROMANOVSAn inherently fascinating and impressively informative study. ― Midwest Book Review About the Author John Man is a historian specializing in Asia and the nature of leadership. John’s books have been published in over twenty languages around the world and include bestselling biographies of Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, and Attila the Hun, as well as histories of the Great Wall of China and the Mongolian Empire. He lives in England.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐The author is not a dreamer. He went everywhere and read everything so he could describe this mythical looking phenomenon. A good read and re-read later.

⭐I did not like the Author’s distortion of history. Page 3. According to Mr. John Man, Eurystheus was not real Let alone when he ruled because at that time the Greeks had no script or records?( Dates 1100BC)Really?Where did you get this information Mr. Man? Our greatest historians , poets , wrote for centuries about Eurysheus , the story of Heracles and the 12 labors, both being a historical figure. Records of Hellenic snd Cretan scripts date 4,000 BC.So far, I am on page 4, and don’t care reading this book any further.

⭐Presented a clearer picture of what was going on in those societies of the ancient, classical & dark ages of the central & eastern European countries.

⭐Great condition. Good book

⭐This book was more than I thought it would be! Besides just tracing the potential sources of the ancient Greek myth of the Amazons – the all-female society of warriors – this book traced the waxing and waning of the myth throughout the centuries, explained how the Amazon river got its name, how the legendary horseback archery skills of the Amazons and other horse tribes of the Steppes have made a resurgence, and explored female warrior societies/groups in the recent past (including an army of vicious warrior women in 1800s Africa, and the feared and famed “Night Witches” female pilots of the Soviet military during WWII).There were a few tangents and rabbit holes that took the book off course and didn’t add much/weren’t relevant to the purpose of the book, and some portions were pretty wordy. But overall, a really interesting read that I learned a lot from.

⭐This book is really a collection of essays concerning Amazons. Although the book begins with the myths and legends of the Amazons of the Ancient Greeks the author really expands the myths to South America, Russia, and Asia. I enjoyed some of the essays but others were dry and repetitious. The book could have been better organized and edited. Overall the book is an interesting look at a often hidden aspect of women’s history.

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