Argonauts

The collective name for the most celebrated band of heroes ever assembled in ancient Greece.

When king Pelias gave Iason (Jason) the seemingly impossible task of retrieving the Golden Fleece from the distant land of Kolkhis (Colchis), Iason sent out an appeal for the bravest men in Greece to assist him; the Argonauts were the men who answered the summons.

Their ship was named Argo and thus they were dubbed Argonauts because Argo + nautes = Argo-seamen.

The date of the quest for the Golden Fleece is a matter of speculation but we are given several hints as to the chronology of events: Herakles (Heracles) was forced to leave the quest for the Fleece and return to his Twelve Labors and we know that after his completion of the Ninth Labor (Retrieve the Belt of the Amazon Queen, Hippolyte), Herakles stopped at the city of Troy while king Laomedon ruled the city; Laomedon was the father of the last king of Troy, Priam; we can count backwards from the sack of Troy (circa 1250 BCE) and perhaps determine the date of the quest for the Golden Fleece; we know that the siege of Troy lasted for ten years, that would push the date back to 1260 BCE; we know that Priam was an old man when Troy was sacked (perhaps 50 years old); that might put the quest for the Golden Fleece back another 25 or so years, i.e. the quest for the Golden Fleece might be dated as circa 1285 BCE.

We must remember that the sack of Troy, as related in The Iliad, was thought to be a “myth” until Heinrich Schliemann took the “story” seriously and, after a methodical search, found the ruins of Troy; I’m suggesting that the Garden of Ares, where the Golden Fleece was kept, might be an actual place with datable artifacts that have yet to be discovered.

The Argonauts were: Admetos, Aithalides, Akastos (Acastus), Amphidamas, Amphion, Ankaios (Ancaios) (son of Lykurgos), Ankaios (Ancaios) (son of Poseidon), Areios, Argus, Asterion, Asterios, Augeias, Boutes, Ekhion (Echion), Erginos, Erybotes, Erytos, Euphemos, Eurydamas, Eurytion, Herakles, Hylas, Idas, Idmon, Iphiklos (Iphiclos), Iphitus (son of Eurytus), Iphitus (son of Klytoneos), Kalais (Calais), Kanthos (Canthos), Kastor (Castor), Kepheus (Cepheus), Klytios (Clytios), Koronus (Coronus), Laokoon (Laocoon), Leodokos (Leodocos), Lynkeus (Lynceus), Meleagros, Menoitios, Mopsos, Nauplios, Oileus, Orpheus, Palaemonius, Peleus, Periklymenos (Periclymenos), Phaleros, Phleias, Polydeukes (Polydeuces or Pollux), Polyphemos (Polyphemus) (son of Eilatos), Talaos, Telamon, Tiphys and Zetes; before they reached Kolkhis (Colchis) the Argonauts were joined by the sons of Phrixus: Argus, Kytissoros (Cytissoros), Phrontis and Melas.

• Argonautika, book 2, lines 1140-1156