Roundel with Amazons on Horseback (DO BZ1946.15)
This rectangular silk fragment containing a single medallion shows two symmetrical, strong, fearsome female figures riding horses. They have arrows drawn, ready to hunt down their prey. Each warrior is single-breasted: it was thought that each Amazon was so dedicated to her craft that she would cut off her right breast in order to have better control over her bow.
This silk medallion suggests that the cross cultural interactions and exchanges that occurred during the Crusades extended all the way into Egypt and Syria and crossed religious boundaries. For instance, some very similar silks show a tiny cross at the top and bottom of the roundel's circular frame, while other examples of similar silks show motifs associated with Islamic cultural contexts. It appears as if this roundel's iconography showing two Amazons on horseback was in use for many years and in different religious and cultural contexts.