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The article offers a new interpretation of the Greek myth of Alpheus and Arethusa, which it is believed emerged as a description of latitude-sailing between the Peloponnese and Sicily during the Bronze Age. The author discusses the stars which could have assisted navigation on this route. This is followed by a discussion on the ancient practice of determining latitude by observing the altitude of the lower culmination of the last circumpolar star. Some sea-routes are suggested which could have been traversed using the latitude-sailing technique, and the stars that could have been used as navigation aids on such voyages.

The text analyses the myth of Arion the citharode and his miraculous deliverance. It is believed that the background of this myth is actually the use of stars from the constellation Delphinus in celestial navigation by ancient sea-farers on the maritime route from Magna Graecia to Greece. The author further analyses the myth of Apollo Delphinius, according to which the god assumed the shape of a dolphin and thus guided a Cretan ship to Delphi. Further he considers the use of stars from the constellation Corona Borealis in celestial navigation ; in this context he shortly addresses Theseus’ voyage to Crete and interprets it as an expedition to the Otherworld. Next, the author tries to reconstruct the foundation-myth of Tarentum based on Classical sources, in the context of Arion’ s dolphin-assisted voyage. Associated with this is the analysis of stories with the eponym-hero of the city, Taras, and Phalanthus the Spartan as the main protagonists. The article briefly mentions some other “ dolphin- riders” from Antiquity, namely Melicertes and Hermias. The final section discusses foundation-myths of Greek colonies in the Bay of Naples, again in the context of celestial navigation and open-sea voyages.