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Amazon Horse Archers on a Byzantine Textile, Egypt or Syria, 6th-9th century.

A larger image of Amazon Horse Archers on a Byzantine Textile, Egypt or Syria, 6th-9th century. Metropolitan Museum of Art 1987.442.5.

Date: 7th–9th century (?)
Geography: Made in Egypt or Syria (?)
Culture: Byzantine
Medium: Weft-faced compound twill (samit) in green, beige, and brownish silk
Dimensions: Overall: 8 3/16 x 8 1/4in. (20.8 x 20.9cm)
Classification: Textiles-Woven
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Hayford Peirce, 1987
Accession Number: 1987.442.5

This silk fragment features two bare-breasted Amazons, or female warriors, who aim arrows at the rampant lions beneath their horses’ hooves. It is possible to trace the long popularity of this ancient iconography thanks to the large surviving numbers of similar silks in various colors and quality of weave. This example features a tiny cross at the top and bottom of the circular frame filled with heart shapes and vegetal patterns.
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accession Number: 1987.442.5

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