The Amazons were a warlike tribe of women descended from the god of war, Ares and the nymph Harmonia, and were founders of the town of Themiscyra on the coast of the Euxine in a country on the River Thermodon in Pontus. They originated from the area around the Caucasus Range. Themiscyra is now known as Terme, on the Black Sea coast of Turkey.
The one thing about the Amazons we know to be true is this: they were a matriarchal society. Ruled by two queens, one for defense and one for domestic affairs, with the women of the tribe practising the arts of war. They were required to serve in the army for a fixed period, during which time they maintained their virginity. They kept in their hands the administration of the magistracies and of all the affairs of state.
When the years of their service in the field had expired, they went in to the men for the procreation of children. The men, howerver, spent their days about the house, carrying out the orders which were given to them. These men were primarily kept for mating purposes, having little more than the status of a slave. The legs and or hands of these men were mutilated to prevent their challenging the Amazons' power. And when the Scythians, desiring to come to terms in their war against them, told them that they would find in them no maimed or mutilated bedfellows, Antianira, one of the Amazon queens, replied that lame men make lusty husbands. They took no part in the exercise of free citizenship in the affairs of the community because they might become presumptuous and rise up against the women. When the children were born, the babies were turned over to the men, who brought them up on milk and such cooked foods as were appropriate to the age of the infants.
Another theory about the role of men in the society states that for the continuation of the Amazon race, the women mated with the neighboring Gargarean men for a short period each year. Male children born from these unions were either sent to the Gargareans or killed.
War, hunting and agriculture were their principal pursuits. The Amazons were a mighty army of mounted warriors bearing ivy-shaped shields and double-bladed battleaxes. It was said they were the first humans to ride on horseback. Amazons surgically removed their right breasts, the better to draw the bow and throw the javelin. It's not known exactly how they removed the breast, whether it was cut off, pinched or burned during childhood. Although no convincing proof has been established that these female warriors participated in this form of self mutilation, there is a persistent belief that the word Amazon means "breastless".
At home, the Amazons lived peacefully supplying all their own economic needs and producing artistic treasures coveted far outside their borders, such as the women's most famous treasure, their golden belt of queenship, for which Heracles was known for taking after the death of Hippolyta. Agriculture and training female Amazons were their principal pursuits.
For some 400 years (1000-600 B.C.E.), they held sway over part of Asia Minor. Or at least the Greeks believed for hundreds of years after the legendary warriors last engaged them in battle. Later Greeks attempted to dismiss the earlier tales as untrue. But if they never existed, they could never have invaded Athens as the historian Plutarch (among others) assures us they did. They were, in any case, always foreign to the Greek homeland, and to the Greeks, like all foreigners, they were viewed as barbarians.
While the issue of their existence remains far from settled, the stories of the Amazons continue to inspire the generations.
Aella
During the Greeks' attempt to take Hippolyta's golden belt, Heracles slew the Amazon Aella ("whirlwind") who was known for wielding a double-ax.
Antiope
The Amazon queen Antiope was kidnapped by Heracles from her homeland, brought to Athens and presented to Theseus, the mythical king of Athens. Theseus took her as his wife and she bore him a son named Hippolytus after Antiope's sister Hippolyta. She is the only Amazon known to have married. Fighting by her husband's side during an Amazon attack on Athens, one of her Amazon sisters, Molpadia, ran her through with a spear.
Hippo
Hippo's name means "horse," a word found in many Amazon names. She was one of the queens who helped found the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Cyrene, and Myrina. After conquering Asia Minor and Syria, the warrior woman set up a wooden image of Artemis near a beech tree in Ephesus. There the Amazons would perform a shield dance with rattling quivers, beating the ground in unison to the accompaniment of pipes playing a wild, warlike melody.
Hippolyta
Hippolyta was one of the greatest queens of the Amazons and one of the most beautiful and strongest women of her time. She wore the golden girdle of Amazonian queenship, a gift from her father, Ares. This royal belt became the object of Heracles' ninth labor. Hippolyta was attracted to Heracles and was ready to give him the girdle until Hera, Heracles' nemesis, disguised herself as an Amazon and spread the rumor that the queen had been robbed by him. The Amazons rose to assist their queen and a fight ensued. In the battle, Heracles, believing Hippolyta plotted against him, killed her, took the girdle and left.
Lysippe
In Greek legend, the Amazon queen Lysippe had a son, Tanais, who offended Aphrodite by his scorn of marriage and his devotion to war. In revenge Aphrodite caused him to fall in love with his mother. He was so shamed by this that he flung himself into a river, drowning himself. Lysippe lost her sorrow in work consolidating her queendom, building the city of Themiscyra and raising temples to worship Artemis. It is said she led a force of women that were the first to use calvary in battle.
Marpesia
One of the great military queens, Marpesia began a victorious campaign at the Black Sea and soon conquered Thrace and Syria. Then, with Queen Hippo she marched through Ephesus and Cyrene, finally reaching the Aegean Sea. After settling down to rule her empire, she was called back to the battlefield to defend it from the uprising of her subjects and lost her life in the process.
Omphale
The Amazon queen Omphale was said to have ruled the southern empire of Libya. Omphale bought Heracles in a sale of slaves and had him weave, spin and card wool as well as many other duties. If he made mistakes she would beat him with a golden sandal. Eventually growing bored with him, Omphale sent Heracles back to his homeland.
Otrere
Otrere meaning "nimble" was the name given in some tales to the ancestral goddess of the Amazons. It was also a title of distinction bestowed upon women leaders.
Pantariste
Pantariste killed the Greek messenger Tiamides, who was on his way to alert his countrymen about the Amazonian revolt against the Greeks' attempt to steal Queen Hippolyta's belt.
Penthesilea
One of the greatest Amazon warriors, Penthesilea led a troop to Troy to fight the Greeks. There she engaged Achilles in single combat that was a close combat but was finally killed. Achilles mourned her death when he tore off her helmet and saw her beauty. Thersites, reputed to be the ugliest Greek at Troy, jeered at Achilles' grief and accused him of unnatural lust, whereupon Achiles killed him. This enraged some of the Greeks and Diomeds, a cousin of Thersites, threw Penthesiliea's corpse into the River Scamander.
Thalestris
The Amazon queen Thalestris visited Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) during one of his Asian campaigns, wishing to have a daughter by such a famous general. She stayed with him for 13 days before returning to her own country. Writing more than 400 years later, Plutarch lists no less than 14 authorities who mention this tale, though nine of them, he says, dismissed it as 'complete fiction', and it was laughed at after Alexander's death by his successor in Thrace, Lysismachus.
Information Provided By:
Amazons in Greek Mythology
Amazons: Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology By Carlos Parada
The Amazons of Greek Mythology
