The Argonauts ( Argonautai) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War, around 1300 BCE, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, Argo, named after its builder, Argus. "Argonauts" literally means "Argo sailors". They were sometimes called Minyans, after a prehistoric tribe in the area.