Penthesilea was an Amazonian queen in Greek mythology, the daughter of Ares and Otrera and the sister of Hippolyta, Antiope, and Melanippe. She assisted Troy in the Trojan War, during which she was killed by Achilles or Neoptolemus. The asteroid 271 Penthesilea, discovered in 1887, was named in her honor.
Penthesilea (1862), by Gabriel-Vital Dubray (1813–1892). East façade of the Cour Carrée in the Louvre palace, Paris.
Achilles kills Penthesilea; tondo of an Attic red-figure kylix, 470–460 BC, found at Vulci
Attic red-figure volute krater attributed to the Painter of the Berlin Hydria, dating c. 450 BCE, depicting Achilles slaying Penthesilea, Eskenazi Museum of Art
BM 537 Achilles (left) and Penthesilea (on the ground).
In Greek mythology, the Amazons are portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Heracles, the Argonautica and the Iliad. They were a group of female warriors and hunters who were known for their physical agility, strength, archery, riding skills, and the arts of combat. Their society was closed to men and they only raised their daughters and returned their sons to their fathers, with whom they would only socialize briefly in order to reproduce.
Wounded Amazon of the Capitoline Museums, Rome
A Greek fighting an Amazon; detail from painted sarcophagus found in Italy, 350–325 BC
"Amazon preparing for battle" (Queen Antiope or Hippolyta) or "Armed Venus", by Pierre-Eugène-Emile Hébert, 1860, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Departure of the Amazons, by Claude Deruet, 1620, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
