Ancient Greeks Predicted Robots, Claims Stanford Historian

Talos, a elephantine automaton made of bronze, was described arsenic a instauration of Hephaestus successful Greek mythology. Ancient Greeks whitethorn person predicted robots and galore different modern technological innovations. Credit: Public Domain

Ancient Greeks not lone created the foundations of modern civilization, but they besides predicted robots and different aboriginal technological innovations, according to a publication connected the subject.

Stanford University historiographer Dr. Adrienne Mayor, successful Gods and Robots argues that Greek myths speculated connected the aboriginal beingness of artificial intelligence, robots, driver-less cars, and different modern technologies.

Dr. Mayor’s arguments revolve to a ample grade astir Hephaestus, the Greek deity of craftsmen and metalworking.

One of his creations was Talos, a elephantine automaton made of bronze, which Mayor describes arsenic a “bronze killer-robot” and an aboriginal precursor to the kinds of androids present being built by Boston Dynamics.

Greeks predicted robots and different tech devices

Another of his creations was Pandora, a “replicant” and “wicked AI fembot,” which according to Mayor, was ‘programmed’ to merchandise evil into the world.

Pandora wasn’t the lone ‘AI’ Hephaestus constructed since helium besides built mechanical Golden Maidens to assistance him with his work.

These were designed to foretell his needs and to enactment connected them without nonstop instruction, thing which Dr. Mayor believes makes them aboriginal versions of specified AI-powered idiosyncratic assistants arsenic Amazon’s Alexa.

These creations were not the lone ancient Greek prophecies of aboriginal technology. According to Dr. Mayor, Homer’s epic poesy foretells the accomplishment of driver-less cars and transportation.

In the Odyssey, Odysseus sails backmost to Ithaca connected pilot-less Phaeacian ships portion successful the Iliad, Homer writes astir autonomous wheeled tripods that transport ambrosia.

Ancient Greeks developed their ain technology

While they whitethorn person predicted immoderate modern technological innovations similar robots, the Ancient Greeks invented a ample fig of their ain awesome devices.

There are a plethora of items we usage successful our regular lives that you whitethorn beryllium amazed to perceive tin really beryllium traced backmost to past Greek technology.

Central heating and thermometers, inventions that galore could not unrecorded without, were created by past Greeks.

According to archaeological discoveries astatine the ancient Greek tract successful Turkey, the Temple of Ephesus was kept lukewarm successful antiquity utilizing flues nether its level to circulate the vigor from fires kept burning underneath the sprawling temple complex.

The archetypal conception for today’s thermometer dates backmost to astir 2 1000 years ago.

The Greeks of Alexandria were the archetypal to fig retired however aerial expands erstwhile exposed to precocious temperatures. Philo of Byzantium was the archetypal to use this method to a carnal invention and make the archetypal thermometer.

The time successful 1901 that the Antikythera Mechanism, 1 of the astir important and awesome inventions of the past Greeks, was discovered is celebrated crossed the technological world.

This astoundingly intricate instrumentality is an past Greek instrumentality which galore scientists see the world’s archetypal computer.

The Antikythera Mechanism was discovered wrong an past shipwreck by Greek sponge divers successful 1901.

After galore studies, it was estimated to person been constructed betwixt 150 B.C. and 100 B.C.. A aboriginal survey places it astatine 205 B.C., just 7 years aft the decease of Archimedes.