Argo- Greek ArtifactArtifact"The Swift Ship"

Construction

The Argo was built at Pagasae in Thessaly by the shipwright Argus, under the direct guidance of Athena. It was designed to carry Jason and his crew of heroes to Colchis at the far end of the Black Sea. Into the prow, Athena set a beam of sacred oak from the oracular grove at Dodona. This timber, sacred to Zeus, gave the Argo the power of speech and prophecy. Throughout the voyage the prow spoke aloud — warning of danger, refusing to sail when the crew needed purification for blood spilled aboard.

The Symplegades

The Symplegades — the Clashing Rocks — guarded the entrance to the Black Sea. These massive floating rocks smashed together periodically, crushing anything caught between them. Following Phineus's advice, the crew released a dove to test the passage. When it flew through with only its tail feathers clipped, Jason ordered the crew to row at full speed. Athena herself held the rocks apart as the Argo shot through, losing only the tip of its stern ornament. After the Argo's passage, the Symplegades became fixed in place forever.

The Return

The return from Colchis tested the Argo as much as her crew. Hera enlisted Thetis and the Nereids to guide the ship safely past Scylla and Charybdis. In Libya, a great wave swept the Argo inland, stranding her in the desert. The heroes hauled the ship on their shoulders for twelve days until they reached water that could carry her again.

Death of a Ship

After the voyage, the Argo was drawn ashore and consecrated to Poseidon at the Isthmus of Corinth. In one tradition, Jason spent his final years sitting beneath the rotting hull, mourning his lost fame. A timber from the decaying stern fell and struck him dead — the ship that had carried him to Colchis became the instrument of his end. Zeus later placed the Argo among the stars as the constellation Argo Navis.