Former ruling party MP revives Greek mythology, builds a boat to make a new tourist route

A former MP of the Georgian Dream ruling party, professor of ancient history Omar Nishnianidze has been building a boat for a year to revive the ancient Greek myth of the Argonauts and create a new tourist route in western Georgia.

The name of the boat Nishnianidze built is Argo, same as the name of the boat of Greek Argonauts who entered an ancient Georgian polity Colchis before Christ, as the legend reads. 

The video shows the moment Argo reached its destination. Video by Maestro TV. 

The boat started its route from Georgia’s coastal town of Poti in western Georgia, on the Rioni River, at the end of May and finished it on June 2 in Vani, also in western Georgia.

Nishnianidze also has plans to found a Museum of Argonautica in Kutaisi, on the bank of the River Rioni.

The boat will be placed in the yard of the museum,” Nishnianidze says.

The Argonauts were a group of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War around 1,300 BC, accompanied Greek prince Jason to Colchis, to the ancient Georgian polity in the country’s west, in his quest to find the Golden Fleece.

Nishnianidze built the boat with his own funds and the help of local businessmen in Kutaisi. Photo: Teona Jolia.

In the Greek myth, the Golden Fleece is a golden-wooled, winged ram, which was held in Colchis and was the symbol of authority and kingship.

The name of the Argonauts comes from the name of their ship - the Argo, named after its builder, Argus.

Jason and his crew set out on a quest for the fleece by order of King Pelias.

If Jason managed to take the fleece to Greek, he would be able to take his rightful place on the throne.

With the help of Medea, a daughter of the Colchis king, Jason held the Golden Fleece and took it to Greece.