Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology

Synopsis

Traces The Story Of How Ancient Cultures Envisioned Artificial Life, Automata, Self-moving Devices And Human Enhancements, Sharing Insights Into How The Mythologies Of The Past Related To And Shaped Ancient Machine Innovations. List Of Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Made, Not Born -- The Robot And The Witch: Talos And Medea -- Medea's Cauldron Of Rejuvenation -- The Quest For Immortality And Eternal Youth -- Beyond Nature: Enhanced Powers Borrowed From Gods And Animals -- Daedalus And The Living Statues -- Pygmalion's Living Doll And Prometheus's First Humans -- Hephaestus: Divine Devices And Automata -- Pandora: Beautiful, Artificial, Evil -- Between Myth And History: Real Automata And Lifelike Artifices In The Ancient World -- Epilogue. Awe, Dread, Hope: Deep Learning And Ancient Stories -- Glossary -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index. Adrienne Mayor. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.