qually inclined to make war on horses and engage in confrontations with men. This, of course, was the antithesis of what the patriarchal Greeks viewed as the proper role and functioning of women in society. Castriota rightly points out, “From its inception the Amazon myth probably functioned as a nightmare image of women beyond control, an image designed to justify male supremacy” (46). The Amazonomachy then, was a warning to the men of Greece of what might come if a tight reign was not held on the women of Greece. The myths of the Amazon women exemplify the inherent characteristics that Greek men attributed to Greek women. Those qualities were hybris and a dominating nature. Castriota suggests that the Amazon myth was specifically designed to give a parallel to the flaws of Asiatic culture, which the Greeks despised and felt was insufficient and ineffective. Similarly, this is how women of the time were viewed. The Amazons embodied those character flaws that Greek men had come to associate with the hybris of the Centaurs and the women of Greece. In paintings and myths involving the Amazons, the Greeks were depicted as triumphant over the Amazons and the Amazons triumphant over certain weaker entities. Though some admirable qualities existed in the Amazons, they lacked the additional characteristics of the Greeks. This made them inferior and due subjugation by the superior patriarchal society.The importance of identifying the negative traits found in the Centauromachy and the Amazonomachy lies in its effects on the assigning of characteristics toward a group. In the case of the above, it was the women of Greece. The myths involved showed the effects of the hybris of the Centaurs and the similar nature of the Amazons. The attribution of these traits to the women of Greece threatened the stability of the established patriarchy. Consequently, measures were taken to ensure maintenance of the women of Greece. It w...
