The really truth is, that nobody knows if they had existed, because the search for evidences like archaeological records were in vain.
We meet amazons primarily in ancient greek sagas. They should lived 1000 years ago. At least most reports are in this era.

Wild roumors entwine around the myth of women warriors. It is reported, that they burned their right breast away (amputate) to get better fight skills. Therefore comes the old greek name "amazon". But thats not sure interpretation for the ethymology.

In old persian sanskrit it should be a term "uma soona", which should has been the meaning "Children of Uma".whereas "Uma" is the name of the lunar(?)-godnesst. There seems to be an armenian word, too that sound similar and means lunar-woman.

On some greek Auf einigen griechischen vases amazons held moon shaped shields and thee old greeks allocated Artemis to them, the godness of hunt. Maybe the greeks transfered the inscrutable name echoicly to the word "amazon".

How did the amazons lives?

We had to rely on some historicans.

Lysias reported:

"Long ago there were Amazons, daughters of Ares, who 4 lived along the Thermodon River. They alone of the peoples around them were armed with iron, and they were the first of all of them to ride horses. With these, because of the inexperience of their enemies, the Amazons unexpectedly slew those men who fled and outran those men who pursued. For their courage Amazons used to be considered men rather than women for their physical nature, for they seemed to surpass men in their spirit instead of falling short of them in appearance"

A more detailed report we get from Strabo:

"Also the Amazons, it is said, live in the mountains of Albania. (Not to be mistaken for the modern state of Albania!). Theophanes, who took part in Pompeius' campaign and reached the country of the Albanians, says that the Geles and the Leges, scythian peoples, live in between the Amazons and the Albanians. And that there the river Mermadalis is running in the midst between these peoples and the Amazons. Others, however, among them Metrodorus the Sceptic and Hypsicrates, who also is not inexperienced in said regions, say that the Amazons live near the border to the Gagarians in the northern promontories of the Caucasus, called "Ceraunian mountains"."
"The Amazons spend their time remotely and busy themselves plowing and sowing, planting, pasturing their herdes and especially breeding horses. The more courageous among them engage in hunting on horseback and exercise warlike arts."

"All of them had as children their right breast singed so they were able to put their right arm to every which use easier, especially to throw the javelin. They also make use of the bow, the axe, and a light buckler and they prepare helmets, clothing, and waistbelts from animal skin. In spring they are celebrating two special months, when they climb into the nearby mountains which separate them from the Gagarians. After an old custom the Gagarians go there too, sacrifice together with the Amazons and unite with them to procreate children. Stealthily they are doing so and in the dark, every Gagarian with every Amazon to their discretion. After they are pregnant, they return. The female children which are born to the Amazons they keep, but the boys are given to the Gagarians to raise and everyone receiving a child keeps it as a born son, for the uncertainty of its origin."

At least we had to acknowledge, that most based on pure speculation. One thing, that could be speak for the existence of amazons could be, that they descripted sometimes in greek literature. This could be a sign for a mediterranean culture with high state women.

Rainer Gügel