Themiscyra (Pontus)

Themiscyra, less commonly Themiskyra (Greek: Θεμίσκυρα), was an ancient Greek town on the Themiscyra plain a little distance from the coast and near the mouth of the Thermodon (modern Terme River). It was, in legend, the home of the Amazons.

The town is mentioned as early as the time of Herodotus (iv. 86; comp. Scylax, p. 33; Paus. i. 2. § 1) who also mentions the Amazon female warriors from Themiscyra.Aeschylus, at Prometheus Bound, places the original home of the Amazons in the country about Lake Maeotis and they later moved to Themiscyra. According to Pseudo-Plutarch, the Amazons lived in and about the Tanais (Greek: Τάναϊς) river (modern Don river), formerly called the Amazonian or Amazon (Greek: Ἀμαζόνιος) river, because the Amazons bathed themselves therein and later they moved to Themiscyra. In addition, Strabo, in Geographica, mention that Themiscyra was the home of Amazons but later they were driven out of these places.

Ptolemy (v. 6 § 3) is undoubtedly mistaken in placing it further west, midway between the Iris (mod. Yeşil River) and Cape Heraclium. Scylax calls it a Greek town; but Diodorus (ii. 44) states that it was built by the founder of the kingdom of the Amazons. After the retreat of Mithridates VI from Cyzicus, Themiscyra was besieged by Lucullus. The inhabitants on that occasion defended themselves with great valor; and when their walls were undermined, they sent bears and other wild beasts, and even swarms of bees, against the workmen of Lucullus (Appian, Mithrid. 78). But notwithstanding their gallant defence, the town seems to have perished on that occasion, for Mela speaks of it as no longer existing (i. 19), and Strabo does not mention it at all. (Comp. Anon. Peripl. P. E. p. 11; Steph. B. s. v. Χαδισία.) Some suppose that the town of Terme (Therme), at the mouth of the Thermodon, marks the site of ancient Themiscyra; but Hamilton (Researches, i. p. 283) justly observes that it must have been situated a little further inland. Ruins of the place do not appear to exist, for those which Texier regards as indicating the site of Themiscyra, at a distance of two days' journey from the Halys (mod. Kızılırmak), on the borders of Galatia, cannot possibly have belonged to it, but are in all probability the remains of Tavium. The editors of the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, place Themiscyra "at or near" Terme. At ancient times Themiscyra's bees were famous for their honey.

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