Landscape in the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius

This work investigates the presence and function of landscape in the ancient Greek epic poem, the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius. Landscape in Apollonius is innovative; there is an almost complete lack of Landscape in Greek poetry before the Hellenistic period. Landscape functions as a narrative technique employed to assist the plot: it is used to foreshadow, to elaborate upon important themes, and to aid in characterization. Landscape helps in delineating structure and gives unity to the poem. Because of the important connection between Apollo and landscape in the epic, landscape may also be interpreted as a poetic statement which indicates that Apollonius is sympathetic to the poetry of Callimachus.