#if you can access it blease go read this article. i will also happily provide access. it's a really good read

[breitzbachbea]

"The literature of the Hellenistic period began to place more emphasis on male sexuality. For instance, in Apollonios's Argonautika, the third-century BCE reinvention of the epic that narrated the journey of Jason and the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece, Jason is not only handsome, a common characteristic of heroes since the Homeric epics, but also sexually alluring. Charles Beye has argued that this is the defining aspect of his character. Jason's sexual allure attracts women, particularly Medea, whom Jason recruits to his cause and convinces to betray her family. It can be argued that it is the magic and cleverness of Medea, rather than the heroism of Jason (who is not portrayed by Apollonios as the smartest of men), that allows the Argonauts to succeed and propels the action of the story. Jason's contribution to the success of the endeavor is therefore his ability to make women, Medea particularly, fall in love with him and follow him despite the consequences. This makes Jason a distinctly Hellenistic hero, since in contrast to traditional epic heroes, like Achilles and Odysseus (who were certainly also attractive and who had numerous sexual relationships), Jason's dominant characteristic is his power of sexual attraction. As Beye states, "His sexuality is simply the essence of his being." The literary example of Jason demonstrates that men were now viewed not only as sexual aggressors but also as objects of sexual desire for both women and other men."

Herring, A., Sexy Beast: The Barberini Faun as an Object of Desire, in: Journal of the History of Sexuality 25/1 (2016), 59.