The Amazon cities of Themiskyra, Lykastia and Chadesia were founded around 1371 BC by Queen Lysippe. Themiskyra, with a population of 783 was situated close to a river called the Thermodon that was surrounded by a fertile plain. The site was chosen for its isolation and defensibility. It was close enough to a shallow harbour on the Euxine Sea to permit trade but protected on all sides by forests and rough highlands. The site close to the harbour was already populated at the time of the Amazon arrival so Themiskyra was established upriver where the Thermodon was little more than a small stream. Lykastia (population 308) was built east of the Thermodon and Chadesia (population 295) occupied a site to the west, overlooking the Euxine Sea.
