Penthesilea was an Amazon queen who fought as a Trojan ally in the Trojan War.
She appears in traditions that continue the story beyond the events covered by Homer’s Iliad. Penthesilea came to Troy with other Amazons to help the Trojans after Hector’s death. She was portrayed as a formidable warrior and a daughter of Ares, the god of war.
In the usual account, Achilles killed Penthesilea in battle. Some later versions describe Achilles as falling in love with her after seeing her face, creating a tragic contrast between admiration and combat. These details vary across ancient and later retellings.
Penthesilea is not the same figure as Hippolyta, the Amazon queen associated with Heracles’ ninth labor, or Antiope, another Amazon known from separate myths. Her distinctive role is as a late-arriving defender of Troy.