The ancient Greeks firmly believed that they existed, beyond a doubt. Classical Greek stories, poem, plays, and art all portray or depict them. And, yet, modern historians and archaeologists can find little trace of this legendary warrior tribe. However, because of the amount of art and literature surrounding their descriptions, we can get an idea of what the Greeks knew or believed that they knew about this group of warriors.

To begin with, the ancient texts aren’t quite sure where they originated, but while some sources point to the northern shore of the Black Sea, in the area that is now part of modern Ukraine, most of them say the tribe was from the southern, opposite coast. This area is now the northern part of Turkey. From this flat and fertile land, the tribe raided all along the Black Sea coastal areas and even ventured into the coasts of the Aegean Sea. This is where they encountered the ancient Greeks. Themiscyra, a Greek city in northern Turkey, is supposed to have originally been the capital city of the group. It was here that a supposed series of queens ruled over the people, most notably the legendary Queen Hippolyta. And, to be fair, modern archaeologists have found there some evidence of tombs that have contents and bodies that match the ancient Greek descriptions of the group.

The primary characteristic of the tribe was their war-like abilities. While we think of Greece being the home of arts and architecture, philosophy and learning, this other group was known as the “slayers of men” according to the so-called first historian, Herodotus. They were renowned for their abilities with the bow and the spear, and the idea of fear was not found among them, apparently. One of these warriors would gladly enter a fight with several enemies, and, more often than not, put them to rout. Thus, the tales of their bravery and their prowess preceded them. Their reputation was so fierce that, in battle, it was said that if the enemy found out that they were facing this particular group, they would often leave the battlefield rather than fight them. In fact, such an encounter with them is included in an obscure passage in Homer’s Iliad.

By the time of Alexander the Great, the tribe seems to have largely vanished except for the stories still told in that culture. One contemporary of Alexander supposedly wrote a story about Alexander fighting the tribe in an effort to show how mighty Alexander was, but, when the story was read the young Macedonian conqueror, he is supposed to have said, “Oh? Where was I when this battle was won?” The Roman poet, Vergil, writing over 250 years later, referred to the tribe, but, again, as only the stuff of legend.

Their name as it comes down to us today is also somewhat of a mystery. One legend said that the warriors cut off their right breast muscles so that their bows could be steadied next to their bodies. However, there is also no evidence that this was true even if the warrior tribe had existed. At any rate, that’s one source of the name that we know them by today: Those without breasts.

In Greek, the word is Amazon.