Amazon Research

Attic red-figured cup - now in the Louvre Museum, Paris.
This picture on the interior of a cup shows an Amazon running right. She has hung her bow over her left forearm, holding two arrows in her left hand and a battle-axe in the right. She wears the Scythian costume - trousers, pointed cap - and a short belted Chiton.

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The Land of the Amazons - a photo-tour along the Thermodon

Get an imagination of the legendary homeland of the Amazons.

=> Maps
Here you get a detailed overview of the landscapes where the Thermodon Amazons, the Lemnian Amazons and the Libyan Amazons are located.

Themiskyra - Famous capital of the Amazons
=> Vestiges of Themiskyra - Research campaign 1987

Kapru Kale - Last refuge of the Amazons
=> Research campaign 1987
=> Research campaign 1999

Lykastia and Chadesia - Other cities of the Amazons
=> Ancient references and archaeological situation
=> The cemetery at Tekkeköy
=> Tekkeköy Castle - Research campaign 1999
=> Ikiztepe - Research campaign 1999

Aretias - The sacred island of the Amazons
=> Ancient references and archaeological situation
=> Research campaign 1999
=> Giresun Adasi Project

Further fortresses and monuments round the Thermodon region
=> Caleoglu Kale and Kekirkalesi
=> Asar Kale - Research campaign 1999
=> Panagia Soumela - Field research 2015

Lemnos - Highly developed civilization of Amazons in the Aegean
=> Research campaign 2002
=> Research campaign 2003
=> Research campaign 2006 - The Figure Stone of Hephaistia

Samothrace - Sacred island of the »Great Goddess«
=> Research campaign 2004

Southern Tunisia - In Search of the Libyan Amazons' Homeland
=> Research campaign 2005 (PDF file - 621 KB)

Interesting older research work

>>> Religion and cults of the Amazons
Nearly 100 years ago - in 1912 - Florence Mary Bennett published the book: RELIGIOUS CULTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AMAZONS. Her well-founded research work provides a complete overview of all aspects which show Amazons in connection with religion and cult in ancient tradition. The results are amazingly identical with ours. In fact, the Amazons can only be explained in connection with matriarchal civilization. In her conclusions she states: "We may believe then that the tradition of the Amazons preserves memories of a time when women held the important place in state and religion in Aegean lands, and that they reflect the goddess of this civilisation." The "Great Mother" was the central goddess of the Amazons - an almighty goddess. She was worshipped at sacred stones.
=> The book in PDF format (515 KB)

>>> The Amazons by Guy Cadogan Rothery
Amazingly, also in 1912 Guy Cadogan Rothery published »THE AMAZONS«.
This book impresses with its wealth of information about Amazons. Not only the well-known ancient Amazons are described in detail, moreover there are a lot of accounts on Amazons or Amazon-like civilizations in Europe, Asia and America. Also his conclusions are clear and convincing, so I wonder at the rather little after-effect of his book.
After reading the book you become aware how numerous and multifaceted the accounts and stories about Amazons are. It becomes very clear that in many cases the ancient Amazon myth can never have been the archetype, that means the legends must have developed independently on different continents.
=> The book in PDF format (8 MB)