On the outskirts of Russia and Ukraine there are tombs, where are the skeletons of women, buried with weapons. They lived in a time when the Greeks even told the centuries-old traditions of the nation's women warriors, but thought they were fiction. Because of the recent finds of archaeologists, there was again a question about the Amazons. Perhaps they once existed?

In the Southeast of modern Ukraine and Russia, the great steppe of Eurasia, a thousand years of wandering hordes of nomads, people of different ethnic groups and cultures. But the severe nature dictated to them the same way of life. The toughest people on hardy horses all my life I drove their cattle ate his meat, drinking milk mares. Now only the bulk of the hills in the steppe are silent witnesses of the past. It is the burial places of ancient people, Sarmatians, who continued the monastery was found only with death. In these graves called mounds, few had expected to find a confirmation of the ancient Greek myths.

Sarmatians, who used to live here in the I Millennium BC, did not leave any written sources and the buildings. All that we know about them is produced in graves or visitano the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, but his information is always viewed as legends.

After traveling in 450 BC on the Northern black sea Herodotus wrote the myth of a strange tribe of women warriors, who traveled in the wilderness on horseback, fiercely fought, shooting arrows from their bows. None of them went in marriage, until killed the enemy. Black sea Greeks called them "jorpati" (muzevica), but Herodotus brought another name - the Amazon, from the Greek. amazes (breastless). The authors later explained this by the fact that Amazon has deprived himself of one breast to better archery, but the ancient Greeks never wrote about such defects. Perhaps, these fighters were nicknamed the Amazons, for that would not breastfeeding?

Amazon, cruel enemies of the ancient Greeks, was portrayed them everywhere as a tribe of wild women so that men knew only for procreation and even dared once to attack Athens. But in more recent times, all explained stories. "Believe, " remarked the Greek geographer Strabo, - that could exist army of women, created without participation of men, and so well-organized that raided the lands of neighboring peoples. To tell this, all the same what to say, though in those times men played the role of wives, and wives husbands". Many information about the Amazons in science was not included, but gave much food creativity of writers in all genres - from Comedy to tragedy. By the XX century the Amazon appeared on stage and in fiction. But every time in the steppe find disposal women with guns, one recalls the myth about them. And already from the grave, Amazon as if to fight again for their place in the history of the world. Interestingly, Strabo and other skeptics would say about these graves?

Such discoveries are really unusual. This women is written very little and only ancient Greeks that were always perceived as myths. But here, in the steppes, archeologists find these women warriors like Amazon, because next to them buried swords, daggers, quivers with arrowheads made of bronze and iron are all fighting warrior equipment. The fact that in these steppes belligerent women who fought here, here were killed here and buried her friends - quite obviously. But how are they linked to Amazon ancient myths? Not about them whether wrote Herodotus?.

Russian archaeologists have long known about female burial mounds in the steppes of Ukraine and Russia, where not only ornaments of gold and silver, but also military equipment. But they did not associate the disposal of the Amazons up until here came a multinational team of archaeologists from Western Europe and the USA. In a world where men fought, the image of warrior seemed ridiculous. Some who even considered weapons ritual, to fight in another world, not in this. But the skeletons of women testify to a friend - there is a skull with traces of cutting and piercing blows, there's shoulder bones sticking in them arrowheads...

Usually, if archeologists find weapons in the grave, we believe that the buried man, if necklaces, bracelets and stuff, the woman. However, in these excavations cannot rely on related things, because in the tombs of Sarmatian happens and on the contrary - a man with a mirror and a woman with a weapon. But, fortunately, archeologists studying physical anthropology, skull and other parts of the skeleton can accurately determine the sex buried individuals.

Here is a skeleton of a woman, about sixty years, from weapons here only the knife near silica to pierce the skin, silicon and kresala. Judging by these and other things, an old woman in the community could do that always and everywhere was instructed man, as flints and kresala - guns of the Keeper of the fire. The skull of this woman tell that the Sarmat woman lived to old age, her teeth were socilise, but spoiled no.

In one of the seasons of excavations in 1994, found a grave of very young girls, fourteen years. The bones of her legs were crooked from the constant riding. The set of weapons, it was clear that she had a good command of fighting techniques. For hand-to-hand fight - dagger with a small arm, obviously made by the maiden's hand. For many arrowheads clear that buried her with full quiver.

One of the tombs brought archaeologists unexpected surprise. There discovered the remains of a woman, not like a warrior, but suplementy apparently afraid of it, because tied her legs, obviously not willing that she came to the light of God. One can only speculate, for which it has been treated so harshly. The evil eye? They were afraid that it would bring upon them the damage? Or this woman was crazy, possessed? And they were afraid that she was going to be a Ghost from the grave and will chase after them? Or maybe the reason was quite different and we are living in another way society will never understand.

Trying to imagine wild nomads, riding swiftly on the steppe, and I am reminded about Genghis Khan and the hordes of Mongoloids, but the Sarmatians were europeos.

The Greeks, who used to beat walking in tight formation considered women with bows cowardly, but they were forced to admit that their attacks were deadly. Almost every legend of the battle with the Amazons ends destruction or shame beautiful, but fierce female warrior, pomelova be compared by the Greek hero. But in Herodotus, on the contrary, the Amazon often won. Former enemies they took her husband and those I shared the hardships of nomadic life and wars.

These women are very important to us, because they represent a social formation that has never been registered in documents. In these steppes many many burial places, including in the form of burial mounds. Archaeologists for a few seasons were found about a hundred of them, equally for men and women. Here are the graves of different tribes who came one after another. In some period of time there appeared a tribal warriors whom were women, very similar to those that, according to Herodotus, lived in the steppes North of the Black sea.

If in female graves of the abundance of all things, in men there are almost none. In one man's grave was found only pot, in several other men were buried with a child in her arms... Poverty male graves further reminds me of matriarchy.

The results of the excavations in the South of Russia and Ukraine are simply amazing. Thanks to them legends have found a real basis, and notes of Herodotus Amazons were confirmed.

In this season of excavations went quite the opposite, as it was supposed to be. Soldiers in the last uncovered graves were men. According to Herodotus, the Amazons lived in the VI century BC, and these last graves belonged to the period from the fourth to the second century to the doctor of Economics Thus, from the Amazons Herodotus up buried in the last open graves after more than two centuries, and the tribes that were described in the myths of Ancient Greece, has prevailed Patriarchate. For three centuries women steppes lost power, and it was passed on to their children and grandchildren. Perhaps the perpetrators of this change were prisoners-men, who did not want to put up with the new role and which Amazon has entrusted the upbringing of their children.

Now, after the opening of the archaeologists, it is clear that Amazon existed that lived on earth, these women and myths about them are even more attractive. First found in the condition field of material evidence that existed within society formation of the type of the tribe of Amazons. She was among the nomadic peoples living in these steppes. It was ruled by women, herded, guarding the herds and, if necessary, with the weapon in hands fought for their land.

Through these discoveries, restored the good reputation of Herodotus, since it was named not only the father of history, but also a father of fictions stories about all the exotic type of Amazons. For ten years the excavations the archaeologists have proven that Herodotus was true. Now no one will be called the father of lies, he probably deserves the title of father's historical traditions.

For seven centuries restless Sarmatians now and then appeared in these mounds to bury their dead and give homage to the famous warriors. When and how swayed pendulum tribal relations in the Sarmatian tribes, remains a mystery. Although historical period of the flowering of the tribe of women warriors turned into a myth long ago, when they exist, its echoes long preoccupied the representatives of the new times. So, the conquerors of the New world somehow liked the Amazon is a huge river was called the Amazon, California bears the name of one of their Queens. Even some of the great explorers, Columbus, and the Courtwith that stated that glimpse had seen them, but only when those have already disappeared behind the horizon.