Scientists are uncovering the graves of real-life women warriors

Amazons, as described by 4th century BCE Greek historians like Herodotus, are mythical female warriors that tangled with Achilles, fought in the Trojan War, and ruled themselves.

Amazon women leaving Troy, depicted in 1620 by Claude Deruet.

Achilles fighting the Amazon Queen Penthesilea.

Scientists now believe the Amazons described by the Greeks were actually Scythian warrior women — nomads who ranged from The Black Sea to China between 200 and 900 BCE.

In 1988 scientists in Russia unearthed a Scythian skeleton.

The body was entombed in a wooden sarcophagus and surrounded by weapons, including a quiver filled with arrows.

At the time, they assumed the body belonged to a 13 year old boy.

The fact that she was surrounded by weapons "perhaps brings us back to the myth of the Amazons," the authors wrote.

In 2019, the Don Expedition, headed by scientists at the Russian Academy of Sciences uncovered the graves of four female warriors.

Patricia Gonsalves is a professional archer who runs Lykopis archery school. She tells Inverse the discovery of real female warriors affects how she coaches.

She trained the archers for CW universe shows, including Arrow, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Riverdale.

"When I teach young women in shows like Arrow, I bring up these characters. I talk to these young women and say ‘you’re going to own this.’"

She also runs courses on women, weapons, and history centered around real-life, ancient female warriors.