Amazons Of Greek Mythology
Amazons were the female warriors of Greece, and they have a classical place in Greek mythology. They lived in a region somewhere between Scythia and Sarmatia. Today, it could be somewhere near Ukraine. Some historians say they lived in Libya.
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There were several popular queens in the Greek mythology from the Amazons. One is Penthesilea and she also fought with the Trojans. Her sister Hippolyta was also an Amazon, and the magical girdle that she owned was one of the labors of Hercules. Amazon raiders were often shown with Greek warriors in classical Greek art.
The Amazons not only fought the Greek wars, but they also played a role in the Roman Empire and Late antiquity period. In Roman history, there were a lot of mention about the Amazon raids in Asia Minor and Libya. In the early or beginnings of the modern period, the Amazon were renamed as the woman warriors.
Till today, it is very unclear as to why these women were named Amazons. The origins could be in Iranian literature. Ha-mazan means warriors. Also in Greek Myth they can be translated as man less or without husbands. In classical Greek literature, the Amazons have been given a popular etymology. That is the name Amazon could have been probably derived from the word a-mazos which means women without breasts. This made more sense because it was an Amazon tradition to cut out their right breast or burn it off. They did this so that they could throw the spears more freely and had no physical limitations or obstructions.
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