Queen Lysippa was the first Amazon who founded Themyscira.
She was notable for her disregard for marriage and her devotion to war. Legends say that for these unnatural tendencies for women, she was punished by the goddess of love Aphrodite. In retaliation, the goddess made her son Tanais fall madly in love with his mother. According to another version of the myth, Aphrodite instilled in Tanais and Lysippa an unnatural love passion for each other. In order not to succumb to her criminal passion, Tanais threw himself into the river and drowned. Since then, the river has borne his name, Tanais (modern Don). The spirit of Tanais pursued Lysippa. Then Lysippa and her daughters went along the coast of the Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea) to the shores of the river Thermodont. Here Lysippa built the huge city of Themyscira. In doing so, Lysippa established such an order that "men should do all the household chores, and women should fight and rule."
Lysippa successfully fought with neighboring tribes, she conquered neighboring peoples all the way to Tanais (the Don). She spent the spoils of her campaigns on the construction of the temples of Apollo and Artemis. Having accomplished these feats, she died heroically in one of the battles.
Her daughter, as heiress, surpassed her mother in increasing the glory of the kingdom. She introduced the education of girls from the age of seven in literacy, physical and spiritual education, including the ancient mysteries of healing. Lysippa's daughter conquered many nations from Tanais to Thrace. Her successors reigned with equal success.