Amazones (Amazons): A race of warlike women from western Libya, ruled by women who practiced warfare and maintained virginity during military service.
Myrina: Queen of the Amazones, led an army of 30,000 foot-soldiers and 3,000 cavalry, founded a city named after herself.
Atlantioi (Atlanteans): A civilized people near Mount Atlas and the shore of Okeanos, defeated by the Amazones; later allied with Myrina.
Gorgones (Gorgons): A neighboring tribe hostile to the Atlantioi, fought and partially defeated by Myrina’s Amazones.
Hesperides: Mythical figures associated with the island Hespera, linked to the Amazones’ homeland in some accounts.
Makhlyes (Machlyes): A legendary warrior-women tribe near Lake Tritonis, possibly inspiring the Amazones narrative.
Aithiopian Ikhthyophagoi (Fish-Eaters): Inhabitants of Menê, a sacred city on the Amazones’ island.
Amazones’ Rule in Libya: In western Libya near the edge of the inhabited world, a women-led race practiced warfare and lived on an island called Hespera in the marsh Tritonis, near Okeanos and Mount Atlas.
Conquest of the Island: The Amazones subdued all cities on their island except Menê (Moon), a sacred city with volcanic activity and precious stones (anthrax, sardion, smaragdos).
Founding of Kherronesos: After conquering neighboring Libyans and nomads, the Amazones founded a great city called Kherronesos (Chersonese) in the marsh Tritonis.
War Against the Atlantioi: Led by Queen Myrina, the Amazones invaded the Atlantioi, defeating them in a battle at the city of Kernê (Cerne).
War Against the Gorgones: At the Atlantioi’s request, Myrina led the Amazones against the Gorgones, winning a major battle, killing many, and taking 3,000 prisoners.
This summary highlights the key figures (Myrina, Amazones, Atlantioi, Gorgones) and events (wars, city foundations, natural disasters) central to Diodorus’ narrative.
.The Amazones (Amazons), then, the account continues, being a race superior in valour and eager for war, first of all subdued all the cities on the island except one called Menê (Moon), which was considered to be sacred and was inhabited by Aithiopian Ikhthyophagoi (Fish-Eaters), and was also subject to great eruptions of fire and possessed a multitude of the precious stones which the Greeks call anthrax, sardion, and smaragdos; and after this they subdued many of the neighbouring Libyans and nomad tribes, and founded within the marsh Tritonis a great city which they named Kherronesos (Chersonese) (Peninsular) after its shape.Setting out from the city of Kherronesos, the account continues, the Amazones embarked upon great ventures, a longing having come over them to invade many parts of the inhabited world.
The first people against whom they advanced, according to the tale, was the Atlantioi (Atlanteans), the most civilized men among the inhabitants of those regions, who dwelt in a prosperous country and possessed great cities; it was among them, we are told, that mythology places the birth of the gods, in the regions which lie along the shore of Okeanos, in this respect agreeing with those among the Greeks who relate legends, and about this we shall speak in detail a little later.Now the queen of the Amazones, Myrina, collected, it is said, an army of thirty thousand foot-soldiers and three thousand cavalry, since they favoured to an unusual degree the use of cavalry in their wars.
But when the Gorgones drew up their forces to resist them a mighty battle took place in which the Amazones, gaining the upper hand, slew great numbers of their opponents and took no fewer than three thousand prisoners; and since the rest had fled for refuge into a certain wooded region, Myrina undertook to set fire to the timber, being eager to destroy the race utterly, but when she found that she was unable to succeed in her attempt she retired to the borders of her country .
For the Libyan Amazones, Diodorus combines accounts of the mythical Hesperides and the legendary warrior-women of the Makhlyes (Machlyes) tribe of Lake Tritonis.