The Argonautica - Softcover

Rhodius, Apollonius

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1536907014 ISBN 13: 9781536907018

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016

Synopsis

The Argonautica is a Greek epic poem written by Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BC and tells the myth of the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts to retrieve the Golden Fleece from Colchis. Their heroic adventures and Jason’s relationship with the Colchian sorceress Medea were already well known to Hellenistic audiences, which enabled Apollonius to go beyond a simple narrative, giving it a scholarly emphasis suitable to the times. It was the age of the great Library of Alexandria and his epic incorporates his researches in geography, ethnography, comparative religion and Homeric literature. However, his main contribution to the epic tradition lies in his development of the love between hero and heroine – he seems to have been the first narrative poet to study “the pathology of love”. His Argonautica had a profound impact on Latin poetry. It was translated by Varro Atacinus and imitated by Valerius Flaccus. It influenced Catullus and Ovid and it provided Virgil with a model for his Roman epic, the Aeneid.

About this title

About the Author

Apollonius Rhodius (3rd Cent. - 3rd Cent.)

Apollonius of Rhodes, (Latin: Apollonius Rhodius), floruit first half of 3rd century BCE, is best known as the author of the Argonautica, an epic poem about Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece.

Edition details

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1536907014
• ISBN 13: 9781536907018
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 182