Editing Amazonomachy (section)

=== Possible Historical Counterparts   ===
[[File:Amazonomachy Met 31.11.13.jpg|thumb|Detail of vase, c. 420 BC]]
As Greek civilization began to extend to areas around the Black Sea, the Greeks began to identify and associate these mythical wild and warlike foreign females with the [[Scythians]] in their artwork and literature. In particular, the Amazons were often portrayed similarly to steppe nomad horsewomen.<ref name=":3" /> As the Greeks became more aware of steppe nomad cultures, their depictions of the Amazons in art and literature began to integrate more realistic details corresponding to the artifacts (weaponry, attire, & equipment) found in kurgans (grave mounds) of Scythians.<ref name=":4">Mayor, Adrienne. “Warrior Women: The Archaeology of Amazons.” ''Women in Antiquity'', 2016, pp. 1–17.</ref>

Despite the lack of conclusive evidence pointing to the existence of the Amazons, some modern scholars and archaeologists have claimed that such steppe nomad horsewomen could have potentially existed as the Amazons’ historical counterparts. Though their actual connection to the mythical Amazons is controversial, there is evidence which supports the historical existence of such steppe warrior women, as modern excavations in the 20th century have discovered more than 1,000 tombs of tribes such as the Saka-Scythians across the Eurasian steppes, of which about 300 of these burials have been identified to be those of armed warrior women (as of 2016).<ref name=":4" />