Wonder Woman of the Week: Tomyris

The Wonder Woman for this week is one of the few women of history that helped shape the modern character of Wonder Woman- or perhaps her mother Hippolyta. Tomyris was a queen of one of the Scythian tribes- the historical ethnic group that inspired the Greek Amazon mythology. There is not a lot of information about Tomyris' rise to power, but what is known was that she was not a regent for a future king- the way most women in antiquity rose to power. Instead, she led one of the Scythians' most powerful tribes- the Massagetae including a large army led by her son Spargapises.

During the rule of Cyrus the Great, the Persian army was intent on expanding its borders into Central Asia, but they faced the combined tribes of the Scythian nomads- including the forces of Tomyris. Cyrus initially coaxed the Massagetae army into a trap and captured or killed a third of Tomyris' forces- including the queen's son and general Spargapises. In her ensuing rage of revenge, Massagetae met Cyrus the Great in open battle and defeated his armies in a crushing victory. There is historical debate over the result of the battle with some claiming Cyrus was killed in battle (Herodotus) and others claiming the king survived the battle (Xenophon) but what is known in Tomyris defeated the Persian army and prevented them from encroaching on her land until generations later.