Amazons in the ancient sources

Ancient Sources / Figures / Amazons

32 passages from 11 ancient authors that tell of Amazons, in the original with English translation, author by author in the order the Greeks read them. The Amazons were a race of female warriors in Greek mythology, who dwelt in the region of modern-day Ukraine. Two of the best known Amazon queens were... For the story in one place, read our article on Amazons.

Homer (1)

Homer, Iliad 6.119–236Diomedes and Glaucus exchange armourDiomedes and Glaucus meet between the armies, and Diomedes asks who he is, saying that he will not fight a god. Glaucus answers that the generations of men are like leaves, and tells how his forefather Bellerophon was sent to Lycia, where he overcame the Chimaera, the Solymi and the Amazons. Diomedes, learning that their grandfathers were guest-friends, plants his spear and they exchange armour, Zeus taking the wits of Glaucus so that he gives gold for bronze.

Apollodorus (4)

Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome E.1.1–24Theseus and the Minotaur; Daedalus, Phaedra and PirithousThe Epitome picks up Theseus' labours with the sow of Crommyon and goes on through Sciron, Cercyon and Damastes, after which he reaches Athens and Medea's plot against him fails. With Ariadne's clue he kills the Minotaur, and Ariadne is left on Naxos for Dionysus; Aegeus leaps to his death when he sees the black sail. The section then follows Daedalus and Icarus and Minos's death in Sicily, Theseus's Amazon wife and Phaedra's passion for Hippolytus, the Centauromachy, Helen's abduction, and Theseus's capture in Hades and death on Scyros.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 2.5.7–10The Labours of Heracles (7-10): the Cretan Bull to Geryon's CattleHeracles brings the Cretan bull to Mycenae and takes the man-eating mares of Diomedes of Thrace, founding Abdera. For the belt of Hippolyte he sails to the Amazons, kills her after Hera stirs up trouble, and on the way home saves Hesione from the sea monster at Troy, which Laomedon will not pay for. For the tenth labour he crosses to Erytheia, kills Geryon and his herdsman and dog, and drives the cattle home through Italy and Sicily, wrestling Eryx and enduring Hera's gadfly.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome E.5.1–23The death of Achilles, the Wooden Horse and the fall of TroyPenthesilea and then Memnon come to Troy's aid and are killed by Achilles, who is himself shot by Paris and Apollo. The contest for Achilles' arms drives Ajax to madness and suicide. Troy falls after Philoctetes shoots Paris, Helenus reveals the three conditions, Neoptolemus joins the army and Odysseus steals the Palladium, and the Greeks take the city with the Wooden Horse, Sinon and the beacon at Tenedos; the section closes with the sack, the deaths of Astyanax and Polyxena, and the division of the captives.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 2.3.1–2Bellerophon and the ChimaeraBellerophon, after killing a man by accident, is purified by Proetus, and Stheneboea falsely accuses him when he rejects her. Proetus sends him to Iobates in Lycia with a letter calling for his death, and Iobates sets him to kill the Chimaera, which he does from the air on the winged horse Pegasus. He then defeats the Solymi and the Amazons and kills the ambush set for him, after which Iobates gives him his daughter and the kingdom.

Aeschylus (1)

Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 687–785Second episode (cont.): the wanderings of Io (1)The Chorus is shocked by the tale, and Prometheus tells Io the course of her wanderings: east across the plains of the Scythians, past the Chalybes, to the Caucasus, to the Amazons and the Cimmerian strait. Io asks why she should not kill herself, and Prometheus tells her that he is tormented without hope of dying, and that Zeus himself will be thrown from his sovereignty by a marriage that he will make, a secret that he refuses to disclose. He offers Io the choice of hearing the rest of her wanderings or the name of his deliverer.

Euripides (4)

Euripides, Hippolytus 1–57Prologue: Aphrodite announces her revenge on HippolytusThe goddess Aphrodite, here called Cypris, says that she rewards those who honour her and punishes the proud, and that Hippolytus, the son of Theseus and the Amazon, scorns her and honours only Artemis. She tells how Phaedra, seeing him, was struck with love for him, and that she herself will bring about the destruction of Hippolytus, and that Phaedra too must die, for her honour. She sees Hippolytus coming from the hunt and goes.
Euripides, Hippolytus 267–312First episode: the Nurse presses Phaedra to speakThe Chorus asks the Nurse what she has learned, and she says that Phaedra has had no food for three days and will not speak. The Nurse begs her to be gentle and to let her find some better course, and warns her that if she dies she betrays her children, who will lose their father's house to the Amazon's son, whom she names: Hippolytus. Phaedra cries out and begs her never to mention that man again.
Euripides, Hippolytus 581–615Third episode: Hippolytus learns of Phaedra's lovePhaedra hears the voice of Hippolytus, the son of the Amazon, who is cursing the Nurse for having brought him such a proposal, and she knows that she is lost. The Nurse begs him to keep silent about what he has heard, and he says that his tongue swore but not his mind, and that he will tell his father.
Euripides, Heracles 348–441First choral song: the labours of HeraclesThe Chorus says that Phoebus sings a dirge for the dead Linus, but that it will sing the praise of Heracles, who went down to the house of the dead and brought an end to the labours that fell to him. It recalls how he killed the lion, the Centaurs, the golden-horned deer, Cycnus, the dragon of the apple-tree, the water-snake and the three-bodied monster of Erytheia, and how he fetched the girdle of the Amazons, and says that they now have no help from him, and that their own youth is gone.

Apollonius Rhodius (2)

Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 2.911–1029Sthenelus' barrow, Sinope and the AmazonsThe ghost of Sthenelus appears at his barrow and the heroes pour libations. Argo passes the Parthenius, takes on Deileon, Autolycus and Phlogius at Sinope, and puts in at the mouth of the Thermodon, where the Amazons are arming. Sailing on, the heroes pass the Chalybes, the Tibareni with their strange custom, and the Mossynoeci.
Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 2.301–447Phineus' prophecy of the voyage to ColchisFed at last, Phineus tells the heroes how to pass the Clashing Rocks with a dove, and names the peoples and coasts on the way to Colchis: the Mariandyni, the Amazons, the Chalybes, the isle of Ares and the Phasis. When Jason asks about the way home he says that a god will guide them and bids them rely on Cypris. The sons of Boreas return, and Phineus says he wants only death.

Diodorus Siculus (2)

Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.28.1–4.30.6The Amazons' invasion of Attica and the colony in SardiniaThe surviving Amazons and the Scythians invade Attica to avenge Heracles' attack, and Theseus defeats them, Antiope dying in the battle. The god tells Heracles to send a colony to Sardinia led by his sons by the daughters of Thespius; Iolaüs leads it, calls the people Iolaeis, and builds great works with the help of Daedalus, and the settlers later retreat into the mountains.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.14.1–4.16.4Heracles: the Olympic Games, the Giants and the AmazonsAfter the stables Heracles founds the Olympic Games and receives gifts from the gods. He fights on the side of the gods against the Giants at Pallene, frees Prometheus by shooting the eagle, and brings Eurystheus the man-eating horses of Diomedes. He then sails to the Pontus for the girdle of Hippolyte and defeats the Amazons.

Pausanias (9)

Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.15.1–4Athens Agora: the Painted Colonnade and its paintingsThe Painted Colonnade holds paintings of the Athenians against the Spartans at Oenoe, Theseus fighting the Amazons, the Greek kings after the fall of Ilium, and the battle of Marathon with the hero Marathon, Theseus, Athena, Hercules, Callimachus, Miltiades and Echetlus. Bronze shields hang there, some taken from the Scionians and some, smeared with pitch, from the Spartans captured at Sphacteria. A trophy on a nearby gate marks a cavalry victory over Plistarchus.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.2.1–6Athens: from Piraeus to the Ceramicus, tomb of Antiope, early kingsEntering Athens from Piraeus, Pausanias notes the tomb of the Amazon Antiope, the ruins of Conon’s walls and the graves of Menander and a cenotaph of Euripides, which leads him to poets at royal courts. Inside the gate he describes the building for the processions, a temple of Demeter with statues attributed to Praxiteles, the colonnades to the Ceramicus and the sanctuary of Dionysus with clay images of Amphictyon feasting the gods. He ends with the first kings of Athens, from Actaeus and Cecrops to Cranaus, Amphictyon and Erichthonius.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 7.2.1–11Ionia: the colonies of the sons of Codrus at Miletus, Ephesus and MyusPausanias tells how Medon and Nileus, sons of Codrus, quarrelled over the throne of Athens, and how Nileus led the Ionian colonists to Asia. He covers the Ionian settlement of Miletus, the shrine at Didymi, and the origin of the sanctuary of the Ephesian Artemis, which he says was not founded by the Amazons. Androclus, son of Codrus, drove the Leleges and Lydians from Ephesus and fell fighting for Priene. The people of Myus abandoned their city when the Maeander turned their bay into a swamp full of gnats.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.17.1–6Athens: altar of Mercy, gymnasium of Ptolemy and sanctuary of TheseusIn the market-place are altars of Mercy, Modesty, Rumour and Impulse, which Pausanias takes as proof of Athenian piety. Nearby are the gymnasium of Ptolemy and the sanctuary of Theseus, with paintings of the Amazon war, the Centaur battle and Minos testing Theseus with a ring. He then gives the conflicting tales of Theseus’ death: his capture in Thesprotia with Pirithous, his loss of the throne to Menestheus, and his end on Scyros, from where Cimon later brought his bones to Athens.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.25.1–8Athens Acropolis: statues of Pericles and Anacreon; the Lamian War and the tyrantsStatues on the Acropolis include Xanthippus, Pericles and Anacreon, Io and Callisto, and the small groups dedicated by Attalus showing the Giants, Amazons, Marathon and the Gauls. Pausanias then recounts the aftermath of Chaeronea and the Lamian War under Leosthenes, the Macedonian garrisons, Cassander’s tyrants Demetrius of Phalerum and Lachares, and Demetrius son of Antigonus fortifying the Museum hill.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.41.1–9Megara: tomb of Alcmena, the lion of Cithaeron and the tomb of TereusPausanias describes the tomb of Alcmena, the altar of Achelous, the tomb of Hyllus, and the temple of Apollo and Artemis built by Alcathous after he killed the lion of Cithaeron. He criticises the Megarian version of the story, arguing that Alcathous came after the fall of Megara in Nisus’ reign. He then lists the shrine of Pandion, the tomb of the Amazon Hippolyte and the barrow of Tereus, whom he places at Daulis rather than Megara.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.32.1–10Troezen: Hippolytus’ precinct, the acropolis and the roads from the cityPausanias describes the precinct of Hippolytus with its temple, annual rites and offerings of maidens’ hair, the stadium and the temple of Peeping Aphrodite above it, Phaedra’s myrtle and tomb. He then covers the temple of Athena Sthenias on the acropolis, the sanctuary of Pan the Deliverer, temples of Isis and Aphrodite of the Height, the rock of Theseus, and sanctuaries of Poseidon and Demeter. He ends with the harbour, Genethlium, the twisted olive and the sanctuary of Saronian Artemis.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.11.1–11Olympia: Phidias’ gold and ivory statue of Zeus and its thronePausanias describes the seated gold and ivory Zeus, its Victory, sceptre, sandals and robe, and the throne with its Victories, sphinxes, Niobids and painted barriers by Panaenus. He notes the reliefs on the footstool and pedestal, the unrecommended measurements, the thunderbolt that answered Phidias’ prayer, and the oil that preserves the ivory, comparing the water at Athens and the well under the Aesculapius at Epidaurus.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.25.1–13Olympia: the Messenian boys’ chorus, Agrigentine boys, Achaean heroes and Hercules statuesPausanias turns from images of Zeus to other offerings, among them the statues of the Messenian boys’ chorus lost at sea off Rhegium and the Agrigentine statues of boys praying after the Motye war. He adds a note on the peoples of Sicily and lists a Hercules and the Nemean lion, the Achaean heroes who drew lots to fight Hector, Hercules and the Amazon and the Thasian Hercules by Onatas.

Quintus Smyrnaeus (4)

Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 1.494–653Achilles kills PenthesileiaAs the Trojans are about to fire the ships, Aias hears the cries and calls Achilles, and both arm and meet the Amazons. Penthesileia hurls two spears at them in vain and boasts, and Achilles pierces her with Chiron's spear. He then runs his spear through her horse, and horse and rider die together.
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 1.353–493Theano and the women of TroyA Trojan boasts that Penthesileia will sweep the Argives from the plain, not knowing that Aias and Achilles have not yet heard of the fight. Watching from the walls, Tisiphone fires the Trojan women to arm and go out, but the aged Theano persuades them to keep back. Meanwhile Penthesileia drives the Achaeans on before her.
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 1.654–765Achilles and ThersitesAchilles takes the helmet from the dead queen's head and, seeing how beautiful she is, grieves for her. Ares rushes down from Olympus in anger for his child but is held back by Zeus. Thersites jeers at Achilles for pitying an Amazon, and Achilles strikes him dead with a single blow.
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 1.766–830Diomedes and Thersites; the Amazons buriedDiomedes, a kinsman of Thersites, is the only Argive angry at his death, and the two heroes are on the point of fighting before their comrades reconcile them. The Atreidae give Penthesileia's body and arms back to Priam, who buries her with her horse beside Laomedon's tomb and buries her Amazons beside her. The Argives raise a mound for Podarces, throw Thersites into a pit, and feast with Achilles.

Nonnus of Panopolis (2)

Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 16.71–227Book 16: Dionysos woos Nicaia and is refusedDionysos sees Nicaia's colours in the flowers of a meadow and offers to carry her hunting gear, spread her bed with fawnskins under a vine, and give her dogs, handmaids and the Graces as servants. Nicaia answers that he must first win Athena or Artemis, her comrades, and threatens to chain him as the sons of Iphimedeia chained Ares. Left behind, Dionysos talks to the hound Pan gave him and promises to make it a star near Seirios if it will track the girl.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 36.198–272Book 36: Hard fighting; the giant Colletes killed by a Bacchant's stoneThe fighting is fierce on both sides, and many deaths are described. The giant Colletes, who hopes to carry off Bassarids as brides, is killed by a stone thrown by the Bacchant Charopeia, to the amazement of the onlookers.

Epic Cycle (1)

Epic Cycle, Summaries and Fragments 6.1–5AethiopisProclus' summary tells how Memnon, the son of Eos, comes to help the Trojans in armour made by Hephaestus, and how Thetis tells her son about him. Achilles is killed by Paris and Apollo and Aias carries the body away. A fragment adds the Amazon, the daughter of Ares, who came after the burial of Hector.

Lycophron (2)

Lycophron, Alexandra 979–1125Alexandra 979–1125: Colonies in the West, a man killed in his bath, and Cassandra's own deathUnhappy men build a city like Ilios and kill the descendants of Xuthus in the temple of Laphria, and the men of Croton sack the city of the Amazon Clete. Exiles settle at Tereina, Melita, Othronus and Temessa and on the Crotonian fields, and a woman who burns the fleet of her masters is hung on a cliff that takes her name. A man entangled in a net at his bath is struck down with an axe, his ghost having seen the bitter housekeeping of the lioness, and Cassandra says that she herself will lie beside the bath, cleft by the sword of a jealous woman who treats her as a stolen bride rather than a spear-won prize. A whelp will avenge his father by plunging a sword into the viper, and her husband and master will be called Zeus by the Spartans.
Lycophron, Alexandra 1253–1368Alexandra 1253–1368: The sow's colony and the Sibyl, and the chain of rapes and reprisals between the two continentsThe founder sets up a bronze image of the sow and her young and builds a shrine to Pallenis, putting his fathers' gods and his aged sire before his wife and goods, and, judged most pious even by his foes, founds a famous land near Circaeon and the Sibyl's cave. Cassandra then recounts the older quarrel: the carrying off of the ox-eyed girl from Lerne to the lord of Memphis, the reprisal on the Saraptian heifer taken to Crete, an expedition sent with Teucer and Scamandrus to the Bebryces, and the theft of the fleece by the leader of the single sandal. Further raids follow, a hero taking the girdle and an archer from Themiscyra, the Amazons' invasion of Attica, and a champion in a hide who levels the hill of Troy with the spade. The falcons from Tmolus then ravage Italy, and the fire-brand wakes the old strife again, so that the wronged side will repay the injury threefold and fourfold.