Gods and Robots
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kleroterion (lottery machine), 195
Koetsier, Teun, 199
Konstam, Nigel, 100
kore (maiden) statues, 166, 168
Kotsanas, Kostas, 191, 202
Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology, 145
Kouretes, 142
Kubrick, Stanley, 2001: A Space Odyssey, 11
labor: of god Hephaestus, 129–30; technology for reduction of, 145, 151–53, 225n28, 241nn38–39
Labyrinth, 5, 72, 75
Laelaps, 7, 12, 142
Laestrygonians, 21
Lang, Fritz, Metropolis, 169–70, 170, 171
Laodamia, 109
Laos, 209
Laputa: Castle in the Sky (film), 210
Leda, 43, 71
Lefkowitz, Mary, 46
Leonardo da Vinci, 83, 226n42
Lesbos, 144
Lestriconi, 21
Leucadia, 181
Lie Yukou, Book of Liezi, 121
Lin, Patrick, 62
lions: made by Daedalus, 91; made by Hephaestus, 138, 144
lodestone. See magnetism
Lokapannatti, 204–5, 208
lost-wax casting method, 20, 24–26, 86–88, 121–22
love, 45
Lowe, Dunstan, 101
Lucan, 126
Lucian, 95, 108–9, 183; Icaromenippus (“The Sky Man”), 81; Philopseudes (“Lover of Lies”), 52, 188–89
Lucius Tanicius, 189
Luohans, 209
“made, not born,” 2, 21, 28, 154, 155, 160, 165, 216
magic, 3, 33–34, 36–37, 70, 81, 108; life bestowed by, 2, 21, 22, 26, 106–7, 114; “magic-wand” myths, 96, 106, 112, 114, 223n2; protective power of, 28, 144; and technology, 3, 23–24, 94, 241n34
magnetism, 100–102, 234n30
Mahāvastu, 110
Ma Jun, 201
manga, 210
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 47–48, 50
Marpessa, 55–56
Martinho-Truswell, Antone, 223n2
maschalismos (ritual dismemberment of enemy warriors), 116, 236n26
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 32, 84
Master Impression, Minoan seal, 19
Mazinger Z (anime-manga series), 210
Medea, 1, 2, 33–44; Daedalus linked to, 79; Etruscan name Metaia, 79; and the Golden Fleece, 9; and Jason, 9–10, 33, 35, 42–43; legacy of, 125; Pasiphae as aunt of, 70; and Pelias, 35–40; pharmaka (drugs) of, 9, 11, 33–38, 63–65, 144; powers of, 9–11, 28, 33–40; rejuvenating powers of, Plate 5, 33–34, 36–38, 37–41; and Talos, 10–11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 27–28, 30, 51, 206; theft of ichor by, 63–65
medicine, 36; physiological theories in ancient, 26–27; purpose of, 58
medieval era, 1, 23, 24, 30, 49, 67, 72, 81, 94, 101, 102, 108, 110, 124, 134, 144, 172, 184, 187, 195, 201, 206, 226n42
Megasthenes, 207
Memnon, 54, 188–89
memory, 5, 11, 44–45, 47, 50, 53, 59, 64–65, 160, 176, 219, 228n1
Mendelsohn, Daniel, 134
mercury, 49, 93–94, 100
Metropolis (film). See Lang, Fritz, Metropolis
Mickey Mouse, 52
Microsoft, 215
Midas, 35
Mikon, 13, 38
military: Alexander’s technological devices for, 66–67; cyborg/robot soldiers in, 66; human enhancements designed for, 32, 62, 64–65, 130–32, 134; modern appropriations of Talos by, 31–32; pharmacological projects of, 64–65
Mill, John Stuart, 241n39
Minerva. See Athena
Minoan civilization, 19, 86
Minos, King, 7, 12, 17, 19, 48, 51, 70, 72, 75, 78, 89, 142
Minotaur, 19, 72, 74, 89
mirrors: with Eos and Tithonus, 55; with Hephaestus making horse, Plate 8, 139, 140, 141; with Medea, 39, 40; with Talos, 17, 18, 19
misogyny, 107, 157–58
MIT. See Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mithradates VI, King, 196–97
Mont’e Prama (Sardinia), 20–21
morality. See ethics and morality
Mori, Masahiro, 69, 209, 234n33
mosaic effect/theory, 5
Mu (Chinese king), 121
Muhammad, 101
Musk, Elon, 215
Myron of Athens: Discus Thrower (detail), Plate 7, 99; Riace bronze statue A (detail), Plate 7, 99
Nabis, 193–95, 194
naphtha, 67
Napoleon Bonaparte, 47
Narts, 47
nectar, 27, 42, 57–58
Neils, Jenifer, 173–75
Neoplatonism, 112
nepenthe, 64
Nero, 181, 183
Neverdie Land, 49
Nicander of Colophon, 143
Nike, 196–97
Niobid Painter, 162, 170; calyx krater with Pandora, Plate 14, 164–66, 165, 167 (detail), 169–70, 171 (details), 175
Nonnus, 57, 138
Nostoi (Returns) [Greek saga], 33–34
Nuada (Nudd) of the Silver Hand, King, 68
nuraghe (stone towers), 85
Nuragic civilization, 20–21, 85–86; stone giants of Mont’e Prama, 20
nutrition and diet, 42, 48, 57–58
Nysa, 198–200, 207, 247n37
Odysseus, 45–46, 103, 131, 143, 151, 158
Olympic Games, 128, 191
Only Lovers Left Alive (film), 59
Onomarchos of Andros, 109
Ovid, 34, 43, 48, 107–9, 181
Owl Pillar Group, amphora with Zeus and Pandora’s jar, 161, 173–74, 173
oxen. See bulls
Paipetis, Stepfanos, 131
Palaephatus, 34, 66, 70, 72, 75
Pan, 162, 200
Panathenaia, 124
Pandareus, 142
Pandora, 156–78; Athenian popularity of, 170–72; beauty of, 156, 158; fabricated nature and characteristics of, 160; gifts given to, 156, 158–59; Hephaestus’s creation of, 1, 2, 23, 123, 155, 156–64, 157, 170–72, 215; images of, 157, 159, 161, 163–65, 167, 171; jar of, 156, 158, 160–61, 172–76; legacy of, 169–70; philosophical questions raised by, 123; as punishment for humankind, 156–58, 160–61, 172; reproductive capability of, 143, 242n10; smile of, 166
Panofka, Theodor, 162–63
Pan Painter, lekythos with Argus, 137
Paphos, 108
Parrhasius, 98, 111
Parthenon, Athens, 124, 170
Pasiphae, 67, 70–72, 73, 74, 142, 181, 185
Pataliputta, India, 203–5, 207
Paterculus, Arruntius, 184
patriarchy, 157
Pausanias, 13, 19, 48, 69, 75, 90, 106, 121, 128, 149, 171, 191
Pecse, 139
Pegasus, 139
Peitho, 159
Pelias, 33, 35–40, 37, 38, 40, 41, 53, 89
Pelops, 68
Penelope, 46, 57
Penthesilea Painter, 162; red-figure cup with Eos and Tithonus, 54
Peplos Kore, 168
Perilaus, 182–87, 185
Phaeacian ships, 151
Phalaris, 182–87, 185
phantasias (paintings with special effects), 98, 131
pharmaka, drugs, 9, 11, 13, 17, 33–38, 41, 62–64, 144
Phidias, 92, 170, 191
Philip II of Macedonia, 195
Philippus, 91, 93
Philo of Byzantium, 145–46, 190, 199–200, 202
Philostephanus of Alexandria, 108
Philostratus, 70, 95, 145, 149
Photius, 121
Pindar, 20, 21, 23, 47, 48, 94, 149, 176, 183, 186
plaster casts, 98
Plato, 48, 58, 61, 92, 122–23, 124, 190, 192, 244n41; Republic, 153, 190
Pliny the Elder, 48–49, 86, 97–98, 100, 109, 111, 121, 171, 183, 187, 199
Plutarch, 19, 28, 95, 183
Poliorcetes, Demetrius, 195
Pollux (hero). See Castor and Pollux
Pollux (writer), 121
Polybius, 184, 192–94
Polybus, 27
Pol
ydora, 109
Polyeidus, 48
Polygnotus, 13
Pomeroy, Sarah, 194
Pompeii, mural of Daedalus and Icarus, 79
Poniatowski, Stanislas, Prince, gems commissioned by, 157, 159
Popular Electronics (magazine), 31
pornography, 71. See also sexual activity
Porus, King, 66–67
Poseidon, 144
Posidonius, 193
Praxiteles, 110; Aphrodite at Knidos, 109
Prester John, 49
Proclus, 199
Procris, 142
“programmed” devices, early, 7, 200, 247n41
Prometheus: in ancient literature, 105; as artificer, 2; Athenians’ veneration of, 124; bleeding ichor on the ground, 64; as creator of human race, Plate 10, Plate 11, 105–6, 112, 113, 114–27, 115, 117, 119, 120, 156; Daedalus confused/compared with, 103–4; on Etruscan gems (Prumathe), 115; immortality of, 43, 51, 228n4; legacy of, 124–25; and Pandora, 215; Parrhasius’s painting of, 98; punishment of, 43, 51, 63, 98, 126–27, 156, 228n4; technology and fire provided to humans by, 1, 9, 57, 61–63, 105, 124, 176
prosthetic body parts, 68–69
Protesilaus, 43, 109
Prumathe. See Prometheus
Psammeticus, 35
Pseudo-Aristotle, 82, 191
Ptolemies, 197
Ptolemy II Philadelphus, king of Egypt, 100, 197, 199, 207
Pullman, Philip, His Dark Materials, 123
Pygmalion, 2, 23, 107–8, 110–12, 154, 160
Pyrrha, 107
Pythagoras of Rhegium, 97
Qin Shi Huang, 49–50
quicksilver. See mercury
Ra-Harmakhis, 187
rams, 37, 38, 37, 38, 41, 41, 86, 87
Ratna, 127
Raytheon, 216
realism: of ancient art, 86, 87, 91, 94–95, 97–98, 99, 100, 102–3, 110–11; of automata, 102–3. See also Uncanny Valley
reanimation, 125–26. See also regeneration; rejuvenation
Reeve, C.D.C., 46
regeneration, 51–52. See also reanimation
Rehm, Alfred, 193
rejuvenation: ancient conceptions of, 36; contemporary quest for, 57–59; defined, 220; diet as means of, 57–58; human desire for, 44; Medea’s powers of, 33–34, 36–38; temporary, 43; transcultural tales of, 48–49. See also immortality; reanimation; regeneration
reliefs: Buddha guarded by Heracles/Vajrapani, 209; Daedalus making cow replica, 73; Daedalus making wings, 76; Medea and daughters of Pelias, 38, 39; Prometheus making the first humans, 113
Rhea, 142
Rhodes, 94, 186. See also Colossus of Rhodes
Rice, Anne, The Vampire Chronicles, 59
RoboCop (film), 28
Robo-Humanity, 218
robots: anthropomorphizing of, 11; Asimov’s laws of, 144, 177–78; Buddhism and, 102, 111, 204–6, 208–11; coining of term, 153; culture of, 218; defined, 221; economic motivations for creating, 152–53, 241n39; emotional responses to, 102–3; ethical issues concerning, 93, 107, 144; Hinduism and, 102, 123; learning as issue for, 216; Metropolis and, 169–70, 170, 171; military use of, 66; sexual uses of, 107, 110; Talos, 7, 22–23. See also automata
Rogers, Brett, 61
Roma-visaya, 205–6
Royal Aeronautical Society, England, 84
Sappho, 56–57, 105
Sappho’s Leap, 181
Sardinia, 20–21, 85–86
satyrs, 103, 162, 167, 197, 198
scarabs with images of Prometheus creating first humans, 119, 120
Scheherazade (AI system), 216–17
Scheherazade (storyteller), 216–17
science fiction: ancient examples of, 1, 52, 65, 81, 213–14; ancient robots as theme of, 209; cyborgs in, 28; films in genre of, 169; human autonomy in, 124; human vs. nonhuman in, 2, 28–29, 101, 121; invincible beings in, 32; origins of modern, 126; rebellious automata in, 153; robots in, 21; speculative nature of, 96
Scipio Aemilianus, 184
Scobie, Alex, 110
seals. See gems; Master Impression
seashell, threading of, 89
Semiramis, 71
Seneca, Medea, 9
SENS. See Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) Research Foundation
Septimius Severus, 189
Serapis, 101
Sethlans (Hephaestus), 139, 140, 141
sexual activity/desire: aging linked to, 58; animals as object of, 70–72; magnetism as metaphor associated with, 101–2; Pandora’s excitement of, 159, 161; with statues, 98; statues, robots, and AI as objects of, 107–12, 169, 180, 214, 235n7, 241n34
Shahnama. See Firdowsi
Shakespeare, William, Othello, 124
Shapiro, H. A., 165
sheep. See Dolly; rams
Shelley, Mary, Frankenstein, 29, 125–26
Shelley, Percy Bysshe, 125
ships, powered by artificial oarsmen, 151. See also Argo; Phaeacian ships
siege machines, 193, 195
Sikander (Alexander), 67
Silus, M. Sergius, 68
Simonides, 20, 26
singing statues, 149–50, 187–89
Sisyphus, 52–53
skeletons, 65, 68, 114, 116, 118, 118–20, 121–22, 125
Sladek, John, 4. See also Tik-Tok
slaves and slavery, 4, 93, 98, 152–54, 193, 227, 233n13, 241n39
smile, 50, 161, 166, 167–68, 169, 170–72, 171, 174, 175
snail, mechanical, 192–93
Socrates, 91, 92, 153
Sophocles: Antigone, 62–63; The Camicians, 89; Daedalus, 12, 20, 27, 91; Electra, 58; Glaukos as subject of tragedy by, 48; Pandora as subject of satyr play by, 175; Pandora or The Hammerers, 162; Sisyphus as subject of tragedy by, 53; Triptolemus as subject of tragedy by, 149
“Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” 52
sorceresses. See Circe; Erichtho; Hekate; Medea; Pasiphae; Procris
speaking and sounds, 95, 149–50, 183, 186–89
Spenser, Edmund, The Faerie Queene, 29–30, 30
Stallings, Alicia E., 57
Star Wars films, 21
Steiner, Deborah, 46
Stevens, Benjamin, 61
Stoicism, 50
stone giants of Mont’e Prama, Sardinia, Nuragic culture, 20–21, 20, 85–86
stories, power of, 1, 4, 216–18. See also imagination
Strabo, 181, 188
Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) Research Foundation, 59
Stymphalian Birds, 127
Suetonius, 181
superfetation, 43
surveillance, 138
Tacitus, 188
Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS), 32, 32, 62, 134, 138
Taitale. See Daedalus
Talos, 1, 2, 7–32, 132, 209; age of tale of, 19–20; ancient illustrations of, 12–19, 13–16, 18; in Apollonius’s Argonautica, 7–11; capabilities of, 7, 20, 66; death of, 10–12, 17, 27–29, 51, 53, 206; emotions of, 11–12, 15; Etruscan name Chaluchasu, 17, 18; Hephaestus’s creation of, 7–8, 10, 20, 22, 51, 138; human qualities of, 8, 10–13, 15, 22–23, 27, 28; in Jason and the Argonauts (film), 8, 8, 12; mechanical qualities of, 17, 21–22; modern misunderstandings of, 21–22; modern resonances of, 31–32; name of Athenian inventor, 223n4; physiology of, 10, 12–13, 24–28, 31; wings of, 12, 31
Talos of Athens, 90
Talos Painter, volute krater with the death of Talos, Plate 1, 13, 14, 15 (detail), 165
The Talos Principle (video game), 29
Talos RIM-8 missiles, 31–32, 31
Talus, the Iron Knight, 29–30, 30
Tantalus, 58
Tarquinia Painter, bowl with Pandora, Hephaestus, and Athena, 163–64, 164
Tassie, James, 126
Tassinari, Gabriella, 114, 116
Tay (chatbot), 215
Taylor, A.J.W., 110
technology: benefits and promise of, 62–63, 177, 212, 216; for cruel and harmful purposes, 180–84, 194–95;
economic motivations for, 152–53, 241n39; as extension of human capacities, 23, 32, 59–84; Hephaestus as god of, 22, 23; hubris associated with, 81, 82, 125–26, 216; magic or divine power associated with, 23–24; Prometheus and, 62, 63, 104, 105, 114–15, 122, 215. See also biotechne; gods; magic; tools
Telchines, 94, 142
Temple of Aphrodite, Mount Eryx, 86
Tennyson, Alfred, Lord, 57
Terminator films, 28
Teumessian Fox, 142
Thanatos (Death), 16, 17, 52–53
Theater of Heron, 200–201, 202
Themistocles, 35
theodicy, 157
Theodoret, 189
Theognis, 244n39
Theon of Samos, 98, 131
Theseus, 72, 75
Thetis, 50, 57, 130–31, 130, 144, 149
Thucydides, 19
Tik-Tok, vii, 4, 219
time, Greek conceptions of, 45
Tithonus, 53–59, 54–56, 188
Tithonus dilemma, 59
tools, 2, 3, 16, 17, 20, 22–25, 61–63, 70, 79, 81, 90, 96, 103–4, 112, 114–16, 134–36, 135, 136, 139, 164–65, 223n2, 225n28, 230n2. See also technology
torture, 51, 65, 68, 98, 126–28, 178, 180, 182, 184, 195. See also tyrants
transhumanism, 29, 58–59
treadmills, 193
tripods, self-moving, 145–49, 147, 148, 240n21
Triptolemus, 148–49, 148
Trojan Horse, 139, 159, 239n13
trompe l’oeil paintings, 98, 111. See also realism
Truitt, E. R., 23, 110, 153
Turan, 17
Turing test, 123, 159, 237n34
Twitter, 215
Tyndareus, 43
tyrants, and automata used to harm or kill, 65, 129, 178, 180–84, 186, 193–95
Uncanny Valley, 69, 102–3, 169, 198, 209, 221, 234n33
Underworld, 50, 53, 59, 103, 109, 131, 158
US Special Operations Command, 32
utopias, 48
Vajrapani, 208
Varro, 88
video games, 29
Vidhrimati, 68
Vishpala, 68
Visigoths, 184
Visvakarman, 204, 206
Vitruvius, 199
voice augmentation, 183, 187
Walton, Jo, 153
watchdogs, 143–44
wax, 67, 75, 84, 98, 108, 109, 151, 194, 196. See also lost-wax casting method
Wayland, 231n27
Wei Mengbian, 208
Wenxuan, 182
Westworld (TV series), 245n44
wine servers, automated, 146
wings. See flight
witches. See Circe; Hekate; Erichtho; Medea; Pasiphae; Procris
Wu Zetian, Empress, 201, 203, 207–8
Xie Fei, 208
Xieng Kuan (sculpture garden), 209, 210
xoanon, 165
Yan (Yen Shih), 121
yanta, yantakara, 102, 110, 205, 238n46