Marpesia | Amazon Queen

Marpesia (Greek: Μαρπησία) - in Greek mythology, queen of the Amazons, descendant of the valiant queen Lysippe, who conquered many tribes, sister of the Amazon queen Lampado and mother of the next queen Oritia.

Marpesia, along with two other Lampado queens, Marpesia and Hippo, conquered much of Asia Minor and Syria and founded the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Kyrene and Myrine. The work of the Amazons also includes the cities of Tiba and Synope.

In Ephesus, they set up an image of Artemis under a beech tree, at which Hippo made offerings. After the offerings were made, her companions performed first a shield dance and then a whirling dance, shaking their quivers and striking out in unison to the accompaniment of pipes.

The temple of Artemis Ephialtes built later around this statue surpassed even the temple of Apollo at Delphi in magnificence. It was surrounded by two rivers, both named Selenos and flowing in opposite directions.

It was during this expedition that the Amazons captured Troy, at a time when Priam was still a child. Some of the Amazons' troops returned with rich booty, while the rest remained to consolidate their power in Asia Minor.

Marpesia died in one of the battles with the barbarians. She was succeeded as queen by her daughter Oritia, who attracted admiration not only for her prowess, but also for preserving her virginity for the rest of her life.

The Roman historian Marcus Junianus Justinianus of the 2nd century AD described two unparalleled warrior queens of the Amazons, the sisters Marpesia and Lampado, who ruled together, having divided their forces into two armies.

According to him, it was proclaimed that they were daughters of Ares to make their warrior nature famous. He claimed that after controlling most of Europe, they also conquered some cities in Asia.

Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio devoted separate chapters to Marpesia and Lampado in his moralistic treatise On Famous Women (1361, revised to 1375), in which he described one hundred and two biographies of mythical, ancient and medieval women.