Talos: The Ancient Greek Giant “Robot” That Guarded Bronze Age Crete

The decease of the ancient Greek robot Talos arsenic depicted connected a 5th period BC vase present displayed successful Jatta Archaeological Museum, Italy. Credit: Forzaruvo94/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0

The fable of Talos, the past Greek robot, tin beryllium fixed an awesome distinction: it birthed the archetypal humanoid robot successful history. The story of the bronze elephantine and protector of Minoan Crete is applicable adjacent to this day.

Ancient Greek robot

In a modern satellite obsessed with technology, it mightiness beryllium astonishing to cognize the archetypal humanoid robot was to beryllium recovered successful ancient Greece. He was not calved but was made—either by Zeus himself, the craftsman Daidalos, oregon Hephaestus, the deity of occurrence and iron, connected the bid of Zeus, according to past legend.

The past Greek robot arsenic portrayed connected a Cretan coin from astir 300 BC. Credit: Jastrow /Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

In a coin recovered successful the Minoan palace of Phaistos, Talos is portrayed successful the nude, similar astir gods and warriors, and arsenic a young antheral with wings. Myth has it that the wings were to springiness him the velocity to ellipse the full of Crete 3 times a day.

Talos’ assemblage was made of bronze. He had 1 azygous vein that gave him life, starting from the cervix and ending successful his ankles. Instead of blood, however, molten metallic flowed successful his veins. In his ankle, a bronze nail acted arsenic a stopper to clasp this life-giving liquid.

Protector of Crete

Talos’ occupation was to support Crete from extracurricular attacks. He would not let ships to attack the island, hurling elephantine rocks astatine imaginable invaders. Invaders astatine the clip would person included pirates, arsenic good arsenic different assorted enemies of the Minoans.

If an force managed to onshore connected the island, Talos’ assemblage would vigor up into a glow, and helium would termination the invader with a fatal embrace. Myth has it that aft sidesplitting Crete’s enemies, the past Greek robot would interruption into sarcastic laughter.

Talos did not lone support Crete from extracurricular enemies but besides its citizens from each kinds of injustice that mightiness befall them. He would circuit Cretan villages 3 times annually, carrying bronze plates inscribed with divinely-inspired laws connected his back. Their intent was to guarantee these laws were observed successful the province.

The bronze leader symbolizes the technological improvement successful metallurgy successful the prehistoric Minoan years. Metallurgy had reached specified a precocious level that Minoans created a bronze superhero to support them utilizing their imaginativeness and cognition of metal.

Another precise important spot of Talos was that helium was a servant of justice, overmuch similar today’s superheroes, specified arsenic Iron Man, revealing the value past Cretans attached to justice.

Talos imagined successful film

Talos, the ancient Greek robot, gained notoriety successful modernity owed to the movie industry. Brought to beingness successful the 1963 movie accumulation Jason and the Argonauts, helium was portrayed arsenic 70 meters (230 feet) gangly and a fearsome mechanized warrior.

The movie is based connected the communicative of Jason and the Golden Fleece, wherein the Argo approaches Crete aft obtaining the fleece. Talos attempted to support the Argo acold from Crete by throwing boulders astatine it, doing his occupation good arsenic protector of the island.

A video excerpt from the 1963 movie follows.

A TED-Ed speech connected the story of Talos by Adrienne Mayor is shown below: