▁Fle e ce . ▁This ▁generation ▁also ▁included ▁These us , ▁who ▁went ▁to ▁Cre te ▁to ▁sl ay ▁the ▁Min ota ur ; ▁At al anta , ▁the ▁female ▁hero ine , ▁and ▁Me le ager , ▁who ▁once ▁had ▁an ▁ep ic ▁cycle ▁of ▁his ▁own ▁to ▁rival ▁the ▁I li ad ▁and ▁Od ys sey . ▁P ind ar , ▁Ap oll on ius ▁and ▁the ▁Bibli othe ca ▁ende avor ▁to ▁give ▁full ▁lists ▁of ▁the ▁Arg onaut s . ▁ ▁Although ▁Ap oll on ius ▁wrote ▁his ▁poem ▁in ▁the ▁ 3 rd ▁century   BC , ▁the ▁composition ▁of ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁the ▁Arg onaut s ▁is ▁earlier ▁than ▁Od ys sey , ▁which ▁shows ▁familiar ity ▁with ▁the ▁explo its ▁of ▁Jason ▁( the ▁wand ering ▁of ▁Od ys se us ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁partly ▁founded ▁on ▁it ). ▁In ▁ancient ▁times ▁the ▁expedition ▁was ▁regarded ▁as ▁a ▁historical ▁fact , ▁an ▁incident ▁in ▁the ▁opening ▁up ▁of ▁the ▁Black ▁Sea ▁to ▁Greek ▁commerce ▁and ▁colon ization . ▁It ▁was ▁also ▁extremely ▁popular , ▁forming ▁a ▁cycle ▁to ▁which ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁local ▁leg ends ▁became ▁attached . ▁The ▁story ▁of ▁M ede a , ▁in ▁particular , ▁caught ▁the ▁imagination ▁of ▁the ▁trag ic ▁po ets . ▁ ▁House ▁of ▁At re us ▁and ▁The ban ▁Cy cle ▁ ▁In ▁between ▁the ▁Ar go ▁and ▁the ▁Tro jan ▁War , ▁there ▁was ▁a ▁generation ▁known ▁chief ly ▁for ▁its ▁hor r ific ▁cr imes .