Author Archives: Adrienne Mayor

Dr. Adrienne Mayor, a research scholar in classics and the history of science at Stanford University since 2006, has always collected curiosities. Her books include Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology; The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World; The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths and Myths in Greek and Roman Times; Fossil Legends of the First Americans; Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World; and The Poison King: Mithridates, Rome’s Deadliest Enemy (National Book Award nonfiction finalist). (Author photos by Josiah Ober.)

Slaves First Identified Elephant Fossils in America

By Adrienne Mayor | Published July 14, 2020

“The slaves at Stono were originally from Angola or the Congo, the habitat of living Loxodonta elephant species of Africa. The teeth they found at Stono belonged to a great Columbian mammoth that had died thousands of years earlier and was buried in the swamp. Mammoth teeth are flat with ridges (unlike the sharp, pointed […]

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Beauty Secrets of the Ancient Amazons

By Adrienne Mayor | Published March 1, 2020

“Articles of clothing designed for cold weather, along with quivers full of arrows and horse gear, have been found in the graves of women warriors of Scythia, who lived across south Russia and Siberia 2,500 years ago. The women’s skeletons reveal the effects of a harsh lifestyle of riding and warfare. How did saddle-sore Amazons, […]

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Living With Ferrets

By Adrienne Mayor | Published January 29, 2020

“Denise came to live with us when we moved from Athens, Greece, to Montana in the summer of 1980. Born in the stable of the renowned classical guitarist Christopher Parkening, Denise turned up for sale ($20) at Farmer’s Market in Bozeman. We’d never seen a little ferret kit before, and were enchanted by the tiny […]

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The Modern Ferret Lifestyle

By Adrienne Mayor | Published May 1, 2017

“Denise came to live with us when we moved from Athens, Greece, to Montana in the summer of 1980. Born in the stable of the renowned classical guitarist Christopher Parkening, Denise turned up for sale ($20) at Farmer’s Market in Bozeman. We’d never seen a little ferret kit before, and were enchanted by the tiny […]

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