Editing Penthesilea (section)

==== Smyrnaeus ====
In the 4th century AD, the imperial Greek poet [[Quintus Smyrnaeus]] made Penthesilea the subject of the first book in ''[[Posthomerica]]''. In this epic, Smyrnaeus tries to finish [[Homer]] by telling the colourful story of how the city of Troy fell.<ref>{{cite book |author=Lee Fratantuono |title=Madness Unchained: A Reading of Virgil's Aeneid |date=2007 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=9780739122426 |page=336}}</ref> This work explains how Penthesilea came to be at Troy: Penthesilea had killed Hippolyta with a spear when they were hunting deer; this accident caused Penthesilea so much grief that she wished only to die, but, as a warrior and an Amazon, she had to do so honorably and in battle. She therefore was easily convinced to join in the Trojan War. Smyrnaeus also describes in gory detail how the army of Amazons surprises the Greek army and the slaughter that commenced. The Amazon Klonie, after slaying her first opponent, is in turn killed. Penthesilea mows through the Greek lines, killing eight warriors, and cuts the arm off the Greek warrior who had killed Klonie. Penthesilea's Amazon comrades [[Bremusa]], [[Evandre]] and [[Thermodosa]] fight valiantly alongside her but are slain, and so are [[Derinoe]], Alkibie and Derimachea. Penthesilea slays more Greeks with [[axe]] and [[spear]]. From the towers the Trojan women watch and Penthesilea inspires the young [[Hippodamia (mythology)|Hippodamia]], who urges the Trojan women to join the battle.<ref>{{cite book |author=Adrienne Mayor |title=The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World |date=2014 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9781400865130 |page=393}}</ref> Antimachus' daughter Tisiphone gives an inspirational speech: "not in strength are we inferior to men; the same our eyes, our limbs the same; one common light we see, one air we breathe; nor different is the food we eat. What then denied to us hath heaven on man bestowed? O let us hasten to the glorious war!"<ref>Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy, Book 1</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Jessica Amanda Salmonson |title=The Encyclopedia of Amazons: Women Warriors from Antiquity to the Modern Era |date=1991 |publisher=Paragon House |isbn=9781557784209 |page=211}}</ref>