Analysing the Relationship between the Crescent Shaped Shield and the Amazons

Erol A. F.

JOURNAL OF INDO-EUROPEAN STUDIES, cilt.36, ss.411-427, 2008 (AHCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 36
  • Basım Tarihi: 2008
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF INDO-EUROPEAN STUDIES
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Scopus, FRANCIS, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, L'Année philologique, Anthropological Literature, ATLA Religion Database, Linguistic Bibliography, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Sociological abstracts, DIALNET
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.411-427
  • Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

Among the weapon-illustrated reliefs widely spread throughout the triple-gated city of Pisidian Antioch, an eagle-headed crescent-shaped shield is remarkable. Classical sources refer to the crescent-shaped shields as pelta and also associated them with the Amazons. The fact, that the earliest known example of this materials is depicted with the Amazons on black-figured vase illustrations has directed us to conclude that the origin of the shield must be associated with the Amazons. The shield having a crescent shape, the Amazons' close relationship with the Mother Goddess and crescent symbols being a part of these goddesses' iconography, all seem to reinforce such a proposition. Accordingly, the Amazons, their related goddesses and the crescent form itself are the subject of inquiry for this article.