Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 1, A-AME

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Amazons.
They are faid to have formed a flate, out of which men
were excluded. W hat commerce they had with that
lex, was only with Grangers ; they killed all their male
children •, and they cut ofl' the right brealls trf' their fe¬
males, to make them more fit for the combat. From
which laft circumfiance it is that they are luppofed to
take their name, viz. from the privative and ^*£0$,
mamma, “ breaft.” But Dr Bryant, in his Analyfis
of Ancient Mythology, explodes this account as fa¬
bulous ; and obferves that they were in general Cu-
thite colonies from Egypt and Syria, who formed fet-
tlements in difierent countries, and that they derived
their name from %on, “ the fun,” which was the na¬
tional objed of worfliip, vol. iii. p. 463. It has indeed
been controverted, even among ancient writers, whe¬
ther there ever really was fuch a nation as that of the
Amazons. Strabo, Palfephatus, and others, deny it.
On the contrary, Herodotus, Paufanias, Diodorus Si¬
culus, Trogus Pompeius, Juftin, Pliny, Mela, Plutarcfi,
'See. exprefsly affert it.
M. Petit, a French phyfician, publifhed a Latin dif-
fertation in 1685, to prove that there was really a na¬
tion of Amazons. It contains abundance of curious in¬
quiries relating to their habit, their arms, the cities
built by them, &c. Others of the moderns alfo main¬
tain, that their exiftence is fufiiciently proved by the
' teftimony of fuch of the hiftorians of antiquity as are
mofi worthy ot credit ; by the monuments which many
of them have mentioned j and bv medals, fome of
which are Hill remaining ; and that there is not the
leaft; room to believe that what is faid of them is fabu¬
lous.
The Amazons are mentioned by the moft ancient of
the Greek writers. In the third book of the Iliad,
Homer reprefents Priam fpeaking of himfelf as having
been prefent in the earlier part of his life, in a battle
with the Amazons ; and fome of them afterwards came
"to the afliftance of that prince during the liege of
"Troy.
The Amazons are particularly mentioned by Hero¬
dotus. That hiftorian informs us that the Grecians
fought a battle with the Amazons on the river Ther-
modoon, and defeated them. After this vidory, they
carried off all the Amazons they could take alive in
three fiiips. But whilft they were out at fea, thefe
Amazons confpired againft. the men, and killed them
all. Having, however, no knowledge of navigation,
nor any Ikill in the ufe of the rudder, fails, or oars,
they were driven by wind and tide till they arrived at
the pi-ecipices of the lake Maeotis, in the territories of
the Scythians. Here the Amazons went afhore, and,
inarching into the country, feized and mounted the
firft horfes they met with, and began to plunder the
inhabitants. The Scythians at firlt conceived them
to be men 5 but after they had had fkirmiflies with
them, and taken fome prifoners, they difeovered them
to be women. They were then unwilling to carry on
hoftilities againft them •, and by degrees a number of
the young Scythians formed connexions with them,
and were defirous that thefe gentle dames Ihould live
with them as wives, and be incorporated with the reft
of the Scythians. The Amazons agreed to continue
their connexion with their Scythian hufbands, but refu-
fed to affociate with the reft of the inhabitants of the
country, and efpecially with the women of it. They
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afterwards prevailed upon their* hufbands to retire to
Sarmatia, where they fettled. “ Hence,” fays Hero¬
dotus, “ the wives of the Sarmatians ftill continue their
ancient Way of living. They hunt on horfeback in
the company of their hufbands, and fometimes alone.
They march with their armies, and wear the fame
drels with the men. The Sarmatians ufe the Scythian
language, but corrupted from the beginning, becaufe
the Amazons never learned to fpeak corredtly. Then-
marriages are attended with this circumftance j no vir¬
gin is permitted to marry till ibe has killed an enemy
in the field; fo that fome always grow old before they
can qualify themfelves as the lawT requires.”
Diodorus Siculus fays, “ There was formerly a na¬
tion who dwelt near the river Thermodoon, which was
fubjedled to the government of women, and in which
the women, like men, managed all -the military affairs.
Among thefe female warriors, it w'as faid, was one who
excelled the reft in ftrength and valour. She affcmbled
together an army of women, whom Ihe trained up in
military difeipline, and lubdued fome of the neighbour ¬
ing nations. Afterwards, having by her valour in-
creafed her fame, fhe led her army againft the reft 5
and being fuccefsful, fire was fo puffed up, that flic ftyi-
ed herfelf the daughter of Mars, and ordered the men
to fpin wool, and do the work of the women within
doors. She alfo made laws, by which the women were
enjoined to go to the wars, and the men to be kept at
home in a fervile ftate, and employed in the meaneft
offices. They alfo debilitated the arms and thighs of
thofe male -children who were born of them, that they
might be thereby rendered unfit for war. They fear¬
ed the right breafts of their girls, that they might be
no interruption to them in fighting: whence they
derived the name of Amazons. Their queen, having-
become extremely eminent for fkill and knowledge in
military affairs, at length built a large city at the
mouth of the river Thermodoon, and adorned it with
a magnificent palace. In her enterpx-ifes fhe adhered
ftricftly to military difeipline and good order j and fhe
added to her empire all the adjoining nations, even to
the river Tanais. Having performed thefe exploits,
file at laft ended her days like a hero, falling in a bat¬
tle, in which Ihe had fought courageoufly. She was
fuceeeded in the kingdom by her daughter, who imi¬
tated the valour of her mother, and in fome exploits
excelled her. She caufed the girls from their very in¬
fancy to be exercifed in hunting, and to be daily train¬
ed up in military exercifes. She inftituted folemn fef-
tivals and facrifices to Mars and Diana, which were
named Tauropoli. She afterwards carried her arms
beyond the river Tanais, and fubdued all the people of
thofe regions, even into Thrace, lieturning then with
a great quantity of fpoils into her own kingdom, fhe
caufed magnificent temples to be erefted to the deities
before mentioned 5 and ihe gained the love of her fub-
jedts by her mild and gentle government. She after¬
wards undertook an expedition againft thofe who were
on the other fide of the river, and fubjedted to her do¬
minion a great part of Afia, extending her arms as far
as Syria.”
Diodorus alfo mentions another race of Amazons
who dwelt in Africa j and whom he fpeaks of as being
of greater antiquity than thofe who lived near the
river Thermodoon. “ In the weftern parts of Libya,”
$ E fays
Amazons.