THE AMAZONS were women warriors trained in the art of war. The origin of the word Amazon is uncertain. It may be derived from an Iranian ethnonym *ha-mazan-, "warriors". It might be a Greek derivation from "manless, without husbands". In popular etymology the word is believed to come from the Greek a-mazos, "without breast".
Amazons were said to have lived in Pontus, a part of modern day Turkey near the shore of the Black Sea. There they formed an independent kingdom ruled by a queen named Hippolyta or Hippolyte ("loose, unbridled mare").
A common misunderstanding about the Amazons is that they allegedly had their right breast cut off in order to use a bow more freely and throw spears without physical limitations and obstructions. But there is no indication of such a practice in works of art, in which the Amazons are always represented with both breasts, although the right is frequently covered.
The Amazons had a matriarchal social structure where men were marginalized or banned. According to some versions of the myth, no men were permitted to reside with the Amazons; but once a year, in order to prevent their race from dying out, the Amazons would go out and met men outside their kingdom. Baby boys born within the Amazon culture were killed, abandoned in the wilderness to fend for themselves or sent back to their fathers. Baby girls were brought up within the Amazon community, were they learned agriculture, riding, hunting and the art of war.
Archaeological evidence seems to confirm the existence of women-warriors. The Amazons are believed to have founded several cities, amongst them Smyrna, Ephesus, Sinope, and Paphos.
Source: Wikipedia
Painting by Claude Déruet, 1620s
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