The amazons appear on numerous occasions in Greek literature, from history to rumor and back again. From Euripides "Hippolotus" to the Hercules myths, as well as Virgil, Plutarch, and more, the amazons are consistently represented as women with a will of their own. This page contains links to translations of the actual texts as well as some good summary pages.

The amazons make a major appearance within the myths of Hercules labors. The ninth labor was to steal the girdle belonging to the amazon queen Hippolyta. Sometimes rumored to be Antiope's sister, in other versions Hippolyta is Antiope simply by a different name.

The writings about the relations between the Amazons and the Scythian men and their societies are available in many different translations of Herodotus. This link is one of the clearer translations I've found. There are questions regarding the collection of the property that belonged to the Scythian males, mainly because it can be looked at as a sort of backwards dowry that the men brought rather than the women.

The story of how Theseus abducted Antiope is related in Greek drama, histories, and through art. The Perseus link to Plutarch's Theseus takes you to the story of how Theseus' journey with Hercules, "against the Amazons," rewards him with Antiope and how he eventually falls in love with her.

Lysias in his Funeral Orations numbers four and six, talks about the Amazons and their attacks on neighboring settlements. One of the main points taken from Lysias is that the Amazons were the first of the Greeks to mount horses, as well as to use iron. But in keeping with Greek stereotypes, he attributes their downfall to their femininity.

From Virgil's Aeneid, references to Penthesilea-- the Amazon Achilles fell in love with after he killed her in the Trojan War. The story goes that when Achilles removed Penthesilea's helmet he was stricken by her beauty and instantly fell in love with her, regretting her death. More of the Aeneid.

Plato, Plutarch, Herodotus and more: the historians. Another source for some good textual references about the Amazons, plus a different translation of Theseus which may be clearer and easier to understand… it is all in one place though rather than split up like the Perseus links.

For other appearances of Amazons in Greek literature, the Perseus search links are a great source, and include other ideas for where to look.

There are some great photos of artwork representing some of these stories in the photo gallery and also available at many sources on the web.