The Argonautica

Apollonios Rhodios (c. 305-235 B.C.), the author of the Argonautika, was appointed Chief Librarian in the legendary library at Alexandria around 265 B.C. His first draft of this poem, composed when he was a very young man, drew scornful reactions from the literati of the day, Kallimachos in particular, who thought epic pass and long poems vulgar. The Argonautika: the story of Jason and the quest for the golden fleece is a retelling of the tale of Jason and the Golden Fleece ... Jason, a young prince, is sent on a perilous expedition but comes through various ordeals with the aid of the king's daughter, Medeia, He is a very modern figure, not at all Achillean: almost an anti-hero. Along the way, the story incorporates ... accounts of early exploration and colonizing ventures.