"We are warriors, our craft is with the bow and the spear." - Oirpata, 'killer of men', 450 BCE

"We are warriors, our craft is with the bow and the spear." - Oirpata, 'killer of men', 450 BCE

Herodotus tells us that two groups of Saka (Scythian) women warriors eventually left to form their own tribe. 

He referred to them as Amazons, a term derived from the Old Persian "Hamazãn," meaning equal warrior, or of equal strength.

The Saka and Parthian Iranians are the ancestors of Pahlavãni, the tradition of the Pahlavãn is the title given to male champion knights, while Hamazãn refers to their female counterparts of equal strength and courage.