Robots with human characteristics existed in ancient Greece? Are their descriptions purely fictitious? Are they the distant resonance of some events that occurred at dawn in modern humans? Do not rush to conclusions. On the contrary, these ancient myths should be examined from the perspective of retrospective history.
According to legend, Hephaestus, the ancient Greek god of fire, “casted” 24 copper tripods through metal processing and handcrafts. They walked around on “golden wheels” like self-driven devices. These devices were allegedly used by Hephaestus to serve the God who came to visit him.
Judging from the current point of view, I think they are likely to be some kind of remote-controlled robot or automatic transportation tool. Hephaestus walked limp, so he also “casted” two “maidens” made of gold. These “maids” are “strong and sensitive, and can express their feelings in words.” When they accompany him on outings, they not only hold Hephaestus with their “hands” and serve him, but they will also please him with beautiful singing. Homer even claimed in his “Iliad” that they have “every bit of knowledge given by the immortal God.”
Another Greek myth also talks about the “Bronze Giant” named “Tharos”, which was also made by Hephaestus. Zeus ordered that this giant should defend Crete. Sarros was covered in metal, with a horn on the top of his head, and an artery running from the top of his head to the toes in his body. A copper plug was inserted into this artery. The copper giant patrolled the island by throwing stones at the enemy. Turn the enemy ship away. It also has a mouthpiece called Minos, the king of Crete.
After the enemy invaded Crete, Tharos began to throw “red flames” around him. To force the enemy to evacuate. But the resourceful witch Medea relies on “false hallucinations” to outperform the giants. She attacked the fatal weakness of Tharos and managed to pull the plug out of Tharos’s artery, and the giant’s oily black blood instantly sprayed to the ground. As a result, Tharos’s strength weakened. Crete became vulnerable to enemy attacks.
In terms of technology, if you look at the story of Tharos through the eyes of a man in the 21st century, the following analogy can be easily explained: This “black oily blood” may be fuel or a kind of lubrication in a hydraulic system Oil; this “false illusion” may involve a device similar to a radar jamming station designed to interfere with the working procedures of the robot; and a “horn-shaped head” may allude to the radar antenna.
Interestingly, we can also find a description of a robot in the story of Qi Yu, an animal in ancient Chinese fables: it has four eyes, six arms, and a halberd on the ears. To some extent, this three-pointed bifurcated tool resembles Tharos’ radar antenna. Qiyu can move along the fractured surface, and it can also take off briefly from the ground. This monster “survives” on rocks, sand and even iron.
The local people buried the monster’s head in the cave after Qi Yu died. For a long time, locals would visit this cave to worship this head. From time to time, people can see a shining red steam emerging from the burial site. The explanation of that kind of cloud and fog is the most interesting “technical detail”: perhaps Qi fish lives on rocks, sand or even iron, so it converts the above-mentioned matter into atomic energy, so this uncontrolled emission has been observed by some Interpreted as the cloud mentioned above.
There is also a “one dragon” story about the Yellow Emperor (the first emperor in Chinese legend) in ancient China, which is very eye-catching in ancient Chinese legends.
According to the legend, this “dragon” has a pair of wings and its body is shining with a metallic color. Very strangely, the flight of this “dragon” depends on weather conditions. One day, Huangdi boarded this “dragon”, but the latter was unable to take off due to a hurricane. Since the “dragon” in the fable is the protector of thunder and wind, this situation is indeed quite strange.
Once we assume that this “dragon” represents a prototype of some kind of aircraft, people can understand the “unusual case” mentioned above. According to legend, the “dragon” can carry 70 passengers by climbing on its “beard”. This “dragon” can also allude to a helicopter equipped with some kind of movable channel.
Now let us return to the Greek myths and legends. I found that the dragon that appeared in the legend of the Golden Fleece was also particularly interesting. This dragon guards the Golden Fleece (Greek god) in a grove belonging to Ares, the ancient Greek god of war. This “monster” has an armor covered with copper scales, its sinister eyes are shining brightly, it has three rows of teeth in its mouth, and a golden comb is stuck on top of its head.
Once again, people can use many modern technical terms to explain the characteristics of the above-mentioned legendary dragon: “bright eyes” may represent searchlights or headlights; “three rows of teeth” may refer to some kind of gear system, “golden “Comb” may represent a detector or antenna. This dragon as a whole may describe some kind of “technical miracle”, it was made by a man in the Bronze Age.
One can find a series of arguments supporting the above examples. First, some kind of hypnotism made the dragon fall asleep. Remember another story: Medea successfully turned it into a bunch of useless space junk by shooting some kind of rays at the “horned head” of the copper giant Tharos. I think this hypnotic behavior may be related to some kind of guidance interference. The power of this dragon was weakened by the magic of hypnosis, which made it “close its mouth, close its hot eyes, and stretch its body under the tree where the golden fleece once hung from it.” In other words, Medea used the same trick to disrupt the important function of the dragon by firing chaotic pulses. Greek mythology even narrates an air battle between the Greek goddess of Amphibian and Borez. Harpy is a greedy and ugly monster, it has a woman’s head and a bird’s body. Bored is a winged son of the god of the north wind (incarnation of the north wind in Greek mythology) in Greek mythology. This narrative specifically mentions a certain unpleasant smell of the Harpy, which may refer to the general attitude of ancient people to burning smells. It is easy to imagine that people in ancient times were more accustomed to fresh air. Even in today’s technological age, there are still quite a few people who can’t stand the gasoline smell of the engine.
(Greek) The myth of the hero of Argu contains a description of the great bird of Stimfarion: a group of predatory birds of Kaarkadia. They have huge and shiny copper-colored wings. Throw sharp feathers (various arrows or bullets) at the hero of the god Argu. Later, the hero of Yalgu managed to shoot down one of the birds. Then, the birds hovered on Jensen’s ship and gradually disappeared from the horizon. This scene seems to resemble the performance of a group of fighter planes on patrol, or the situation after an attack on a ground target.
The myth of searching for the Golden Fleece stated that in one of his throbs, Jensen was told to use a group of “cows with copper armored legs and a mouth that can spray flames” to plow the fields “dedicated to the god of war Ares”. “. Two roaring cows appeared and violently attacked the hero, the story said. The two cows began to eject flames, but Jensen managed to surrender them, doing as instructed.
So, what is hidden behind the description of these strange cows? These copper-legged bulls that eject flames resemble a mechanical device that can move independently. Considering the usual practice of using this animal in agriculture, if it weren’t for the presence of copper parts and the fires ejected from their mouths, we might find something in common between the legendary cow and modern tractors. .
Crete is located in the Mediterranean Sea in the southeast of Greece, 130 kilometers from the mainland of Greece. The island is about 298 kilometers long from east to west, 27 kilometers wide from north to south, and covers an area of about 8,236 square kilometers. It is the largest island in Greece. Crete is an ancient cultural center and a famous tourist destination in the Mediterranean. The island has mountains and deep valleys, beautiful scenery, and coasts composed of cliffs, rocky headlands and sandy beaches. Here is a Mediterranean climate, sunny and sunny. Plants are evergreen, olives, grapes, citrus, etc. are planted on the island, and flowers bloom everywhere. The island is surrounded by blue waves. Therefore it is known as the “Sea Garden”.
Crete is one of the birthplaces of Mediterranean civilization. Cultural relics of the Neolithic period from 10,000 BC to 3300 BC have been unearthed here. From 2600 BC to 1125 BC, the famous Minoan culture emerged on the island. Art, architecture and engineering technology prospered unprecedentedly and established a unified Minoan dynasty. At the beginning of the 20th century, the ruins of the Knossos Palace were also excavated in the northern part of the island. The site was large in scale, indistinctly consistent with the legendary labyrinth, and collectively represented the achievements of Minoan culture. It is built on the hill, with a rectangular courtyard in the center, surrounded by the king’s palace, the queen’s bedroom, the religiously significant double axe palace, storage rooms, warehouses, etc. There are corridors, entrance halls, double paths, and stairs between the buildings. It is well-known as the “maze”, which is connected with thousands of households and twists and turns. Various palaces and corridors are painted with magnificent and colorful murals, especially “The King with Lilies” is the most famous. There is a theater in the northwest corner of the palace, and the ruins of the royal villa and mausoleum are nearby. There are many other monuments on Crete, which add infinite charm to the island.