Chapter 12: Iason and the Argo
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♠ VF 4.99-343 – Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica
Next open out the shores of the Bebrycian realm, a land of fertile soil and a good friend to sturdy bulls. Amycus was its king, and trusting to his destiny and power divine they girded not their homes with walls nor observed conditions of treaties or laws that constrain peaceful minds. Even as the wild Cyclopes in Aetna’s caverns watch the straits during stormy nights, should any vessel driven by fierce south winds draw nigh, bringing thee, Polyphemus, grim fodder and wretched victims for thy feasting, so look they forth and speed every way to drag captive bodies to their king. Them doth the cruel monarch himself on the rocky verge of a sacrificial ridge, that looms above mid-sea, take and hurl down in offering to his father Neptune; but should the men be of finer build, then he bids them take arms and meet him with the gauntlets; that for the hapless men is the fairest doom of death.
[[114] When Neptune saw the vessel borne hither upon the flood and for the last time looked upon his son’s domain the fields that once rejoiced in their master’s contests, he sighed and poured from his heart such plaints as these: “Melie, ‘tis pity thou wast long ago carried off by me beneath the waves, and didst not rather yield to the Thunderer! So utterly then does a sad fate await my offspring, from whosoever born? Ere now have I known thee so to act, O Jupiter, when hapless Orion fell by the cruel virgin’s shaft and now fills Chaos. And let not thy valour, O my son, nor confidence in me afford thee courage, trust no more in thy father’s power. Now other might has the mastery, and the destinies of Jove, more eager to protect his own, are too strong for blood of mine. Therefore I stove not to turn away this ship with boisterous winds nor stayed her course, nor now can I in aught delay thy death. Make lesser kings thy prey, hard-hearted one!” Then he turned his gaze away, and the father, leaving his son and the ill-starred combat, laved the shores with a tide of blood. Continue Reading Latin Text
♠ ApB 1.9.20 – Apollodoros, Bibliotheke (Library)
From Mysia they departed to the land of the Bebryces, which was ruled by King Amycus, son of Poseidon and a Bithynian nymph. Being a doughty man he compelled the strangers that landed to box and in that way made an end of them. So going to the Argo as usual, he challenged the best man of the crew to a boxing match. Pollux undertook to box against him and killed him with a blow on the elbow. When the Bebryces made a rush at him, the chiefs snatched up their arms and put them to flight with great slaughter. Greek Text
♠ Fab 17 – Hyginus, Fabulae
AMYCUS: Amycus, son of Neptune and Melie, king of Bebrycia, compelled whoever came to his kingdom to contend with him in boxing, and slew the vanquished. When he had challenged the Argonauts to a boxing match, Pollux fought with him and killed him. Latin Text
♠ Peisandros 16F5 FGrH – Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker 1, p. 181, ed. F. Jacoby. 2d ed. Leiden 1957.
♠ fr 6 Kaibel – Epicharmos, Amykos– Fragments of Epicharmos cited according to G. Kaibel, Comicorum Graecorum Fragmenta 1, p. 92. Berlin 1899.
♠ fr 7 Kaibel – Epicharmos, Amykos – Fragments of Epicharmos cited according to G. Kaibel, Comicorum Graecorum Fragmenta 1, p. 92. Berlin 1899.
♦ Paris, Cabinet des Médailles, De Ridder 442: Lucanian red-figure hydria; on shoulder, Amykos bound on a rock amid Argonautai
Whole shoulder decoration, with two Satyroi and two Mainades on left (see below for details of center and right parts of shoulder decoration); from E. Gerhard, Auserlesene Griechische Vasenbilder, hauptsächlich Etruskischen Fundorts (Band 3): Heroenbilder, meistens homerisch (1847) pls. 153-4
Center of hydria’s shoulder, with Argonaut (Polydeukes?) seated to right on an amphora and holding a strigil); bearded Amykos bound to a rock with a spring welling up from its right side; second Argonaut leaning on rock and holding an amphora to draw water from spring; from Wikimedia
Right decoration of hydria’s shoulder, two Boreadai seated on rocks and looking to left; bearded Iason standing and looking left while holding two spears; stern of Argo, with two rudders; from E. Gerhard, Auserlesene Griechische Vasenbilder, hauptsächlich Etruskischen Fundorts (Band 3): Heroenbilder, meistens homerisch (1847) pls. 153-4
Digital LIMC and links to entires in printed LIMC
♦ Roma, Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia 24787: Etruscan Cista Ficoroni from Palestrina (Roman Praeneste), with Polydeukes securing Amykos to a tree in presence of Argonautai (see below for identification of all characters); Latin inscription on lid states “Novios Plautios made me in Rome”
Whole view, from Wikimedia
Drawing of main decoration, from L. Bouke van der Meer, “Reevaluating Etruscan Influence on the Engravings of Praenestine Pear-shaped Mirrors and Cistae,” Etruscan Studies 19.1 (2016) p. 77 fig. 5
Argonaut with amphora that he has filled from spring on far right; above, a reclining mountain god (or seer Mopsos holding priestly fillets?); Kastor in a pilos, with left leg raised on rock; Argonaut, shown from back view, wraps his left arm around Kastor’s neck; this is left part of drawing shown above
Photo from Flickr
Seated Argonaut; winged Boreas with left leg raised on rock; Polydeukes uses both arms to bind Amykos to laurel tree; at base of tree, Polykeukes’ boy servant holds his mantle and strigil; bound, bearded Amykos leans forward; above, a Nike flies toward Polydeukes to crown him with victory wreath; Athena with aigis stands and watches approvingly; seated Iason holding spear in raised right hand also watches thoughtfully; next to him, bearded standing Argonaut (Herakles?) shown from back; this is central part of drawing shown above
Photo from Flickr
Photo from Flickr
Stern of Argo shown, with rudder; on boat, three relaxing Argonautai; in front of Argo, Argonaut descends on ladder from boat holding basket and a cask; sitting Argonaut holds oar; standing Argonaut (Polydeukes repeated?) practices boxing by hitting a punching bag; seated Silenos looks up at boxer; spring with water issuing from lion’s head water spout; standing Argonaut drinks spring water from a cup; this is right part of drawing shown above
Photo from Flickr
Photo from Flickr
Digital LIMC (whose identifications of figures are given above); and links to entries in printed LIMC (with many photos)
Ancient Rome (with many alternate interpretations of figures, some of which are included above, within parentheses)
♦ Ferrara, Museo Archeologico di Spina 2865 (previously T404): fragments of Attic red-figure volute krater by Peleus Painter from Group of Polygnotos; both sides of the volute krater seem to show participants in the funeral games of Pelias; from side B, Polydeukes (named) being crowned; from side A, boxer (misnamed Amykos?) tying boxing thongs on his hands (see below for more details)
Tripod on left, on which a nude, bearded and hairy-chested hero (Herakles?) is placing a white fillet (the hero has won the tripod in an athletic contest); two seated judges, with one on the right placing a victor’s wreath on the head of the bending hero Polydeukes (named); behind the judges and largely obscured by them, a standing frontal hero with two spears; from J.D. Beasley, “Some Inscriptions on Vases: VIII,” American Journal of Archaeology 64.3 (1960) pl. 53.3
Inscriptions with the names of Polydeukes and Amykos; from same reference as first image, pl. 54.1-2
On left edge, head and shoulders of bearded hero named Kleomolpos (name not otherwise known in art or literature); next, a frontal Atalanta wearing a cap and brassiere; bending in front of her, youthful hero Hippomenes (misnamed?; should be named Peleus?); Atalanta and Hippomenes gaze at each other; on the right, standing, youthful nude hero Amykos (misnamed?), tying boxing thong on his hands; from same reference as first image, pl. 53.a
Beazley Archive Pottery Database
Digital LIMC and links to entries in printed LIMC
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Tags:
#Satyroi, #Mainades, #Argonautai, #Amykos, #Iason, #Argo, #Mopsos, #Kastor, #Boread, #Polydeukes, #Nike(opens in new tab), #Athena, #Herakles, #Silenos, #Pelias, #Atalanta, #Hippomenes
Literary sources edited by Elena Bianchelli, Retired Senior Lecturer of Classical Languages and Culture, Univ. of Georgia, March 2022.
Artistic sources edited by R. Ross Holloway, Elisha Benjamin Andrews Professor Emeritus, Brown University; and by Frances Van Keuren, Prof. Emerita, Lamar Dodd School of Art, Univ. of Georgia, December 2025.
