Extremely interesting topic, and of considerable interest in recent times as so much attention was caused in issues concerning women in the military and questions on thier effectiveness in combat. In my opinion, and seemingly well supported throughout historical material, women have always been involved in varying degree in many capacities either in or near combat during times of war or martial action and performed with valor. It would not be possible here to go into the countless instances, but with focus on ancient women warriors as well as the later neoclassic incarnations of the African Amazons in Dahomey, I found some interesting notes concerning thier weaponry.
Recalling the outstanding work of Dr. Jeannine Davis-Kimball Ph.D, who has been key in excavations of Sarmatian graves in Southern Russia, especially those of the women warriors believed to have been the 'Amazons' of the writings of Herodotus, her many articles have described findings in these graves. Interestingly it seems that many graves of the women contained weapons, while many male burials did not. Apparantly the Scythians termed these women 'Oirapata' (=killers of men) while the Greeks used the term 'Amazon (= actually meant loosely 'without husband') despite the other commonly noted etymology.
In "Warrior Women" (2002) Dr, Davis-Kimball notes on p.60, referencing one female Sarmatian grave at Pokravka, "...one in adjacent cemetery had a long iron sword that measured over three feet". It is also noted that in other Sarmatian graves found in the lower Don River region, the female graves often held a long dagger . Further, on p.54 it is noted that"...roughly twenty percent of the Sarmatian warrior graves excavated in the lower Volga region belonged to women, with bows and arrows being the most prevalent weapons".
Concerning the 'Amazons' of Dahomey, it must be conceded that Sir Richard Burton was clearly Anglocentric, and in the many years I have studied his material there are a degree of errors.However overall I think his work displayed reasonably sound observations, especially when discussing weapons. While I do rather doubt that the women warriors were universally supplied with what seems a rather cumbersome weapon such as that described by Burton (1864) in his visit to Dahomey (p.266, Vol.I, "A Mission to Gelele), "...they wielded eighteen inch long razors that folded into wooden handles and were released by a spring".
Professor Robert Edgerton ("The Amazons of Dahomey and the Nature of War",2000) notes on p.30, "...most women soldiers carried a musket, a short sword, a knife or a wooden club in a waistband".
It would seem that women warriors in these instances used weapons in use at the time without any particular alignment to thier gender, and according to prevailing order of combat. The Burton reference however does make note to the 'razors' saying that "...these latter weapons each weighing about twenty pounds were invented by one of King Gezos brothers for the Amazons use". Now that notation does sound suspect, so that instance of a weapon exclusively designed for these women is indeed questionable....especially the weight! If there was such a weapon, it sounds like the King was really putting one on to impress Burton.
Similar data was found in "Women Warriors:A History", by David E. Jones (1997).
Incidentally, the authors of the three books I have cited are all Americans
All the best,
Jim