Amazons in the Digital Era

Analysing the evolution of the myth of the Amazons that has survived in our imagination for millenia.

For more than 3,000 years the Amazons have been a recognised symbol in myth and history, text and image. The contributions in this volume focus in on how this symbolism has shaped and been shaped through the lens of classical reception. From Wonder Woman to the Ukraine War, in genres as varied as videogames and documentary film, the diversity and power of the Amazonian image is notable. Over time they have become paradigms for the defence of women in a global society and icons of feminism and LGBTQIA+.

Divided into three parts, this book considers how the Amazon image has at different times and in different contexts been marginalised, put on a pedestal and globalised. For the first time case studies are taken from across media and lived history to compare and contrast modern frameworks with each other and with the ‘original’ Amazon iconography. What emerges is a concept of ‘the Amazon’ as a modern paradigm that speaks as strongly to today’s diverse society as it did to the ancients.