Additional information
by Charles River (Author)
*Includes pictures
*Includes ancient accounts of the myth
*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading
"Beginning with thee, O Phoebus, I will recount the famous deeds of men of old, who, at the behest of King Pelias, down through the mouth of Pontus and between the Cyanean rocks, sped well-benched Argo in quest of the golden fleece." - Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica
The story of Jason and his crew of Argonauts is one of the best-known and most beloved myths of all time. Blockbuster movies have been made about it, and legendary explorer and historian Tim Severin even constructed a replica of the Argo in 1984 and succeeded in sailing it to Colchis (modern-day Georgia).
In the ancient world too, this myth was told and retold time and again. The best source of the myth available to the modern reader (generally considered to be Apollonius Rhodius's Argonautica) comes from the Hellenistic Period (ca. 323-31 BCE), which is very late in terms of most sources available for Greek myth. This means that the story written at that time had already been exposed to centuries of influences and additions. However, mythology is not the study of a story's beginnings alone, and very often, it is the changes and adaptations that provide the story with its most fascinating characteristics.
The vague geography of the Argo's story will become apparent, but it's also important, because there are numerous theories as to why the ancient writers may have charted the journey as they did. The Argo's journey was as revelatory to Jason as it was to the late ancient Greek readers/listeners, since it incorporated many of the mythical, political, and cultural themes that pervaded myths throughout the Mediterranean. These themes accumulated with every revision and retelling of the story until it became a central motif in the Greek mindset, with strands linking it to myth, peoples, and places. It is this story of multitudes that contains the most fascinating curios of Jason and the Argonauts.
Jason and the Argonauts: The Origins and History of the Ancient Greeks' Most Famous Mythological Hero looks at the story and the legendary Greek hero. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Jason and the Argonauts like never before.
