Amazons were a warlike tribe of women in Asia Minor who captured the imagination of ancient writers so completely that generations of readers have wondered whethre or not there might have been some historical basis. Particularly is this true in regard to the Amazonian invasion of Attica, which not only would have represented an audacious undertaking but also for the ancient chronicles of the event, since the quasi-historical Theseus was involved.
The persistance of stories about these warrior women is in itself a fascinatindg consideration. Was there a cult of Artemis Tauropolos or of Cybele that for a short period grew strong enough to allow females the sovereignty? Had there been some kind of insurrection such as that of Lemnos in which all males had been to death?
The Amazons were frequently represented in works of ancient art. The battle between the Athenians and the Amazonians was the subject of a painting in the Stoa Poecile at Athens. The Amazons were shown also on the shield of Athena in the Parthenon and on the footstool fo the Olympian Zeus by Pheidias. They were carved by Alcamenes on the pediment of the temple of Zeus at Olympia.
Ancient Writers on Amazons: Diodorus Siculus 2,46,5; Pausanias 5.11.2, 10.31.1; Herodotus 4,110-117; Hyginus, Fables 30.