The role of women in ancient warfare across civilizations

Among Germanic tribes (1st–5th centuries CE), women supported warfare by providing supplies, nursing wounded, and occasionally fighting, as Tacitus notes their presence at battle camps.

Homer’s Iliad (8th century BCE) describes Trojan women fighting as archers and spear-throwers, possibly inspiring the Greek ‘Amazon’ myth, though their exact roles remain debated.

Queen Hatshepsut (15th century BCE) led military expeditions, like to Punt, as pharaoh, commissioning campaigns to secure trade routes, as recorded in her mortuary temple inscriptions.

Agrippina the Younger, mother of Nero, influenced military decisions during the Year of the Four Emperors (69 CE), leveraging her political power, as noted in Tacitus’ Histories.

Scythian women warriors, as found in kurgan burials, primarily used composite bows, ideal for horseback archery, enabling mobility and precision in battle, per 5th-century BCE evidence.

Lady Triệu (Trieu Thi Trinh), a 3rd-century Vietnamese warrior (often linked to Chinese history due to regional control), led naval and land forces against Wu Kingdom rebels, per Vietnamese chronicles.

Spartan women, while not frontline fighters, trained physically to produce strong warriors and managed estates during wars, giving them influence over military resources, per Xenophon’s accounts.

The Dahomey Amazons, active in the 18th–19th centuries (ancient by some definitions), were an all-female regiment in the Kingdom of Dahomey, renowned for their combat skills and bravery.

Boudicca, queen of the Iceni, led a major revolt against Roman rule in Britain, destroying cities like Londinium. Her leadership, described by Tacitus, inspired thousands.

Scythian women, from the Eurasian steppes (5th–4th century BCE), fought alongside men as horse archers. Archaeological finds, like the 'Amazon' graves, show women buried with bows and spears.