Ancient Greece Had a Giant Bronze Robot—And His Story Sounds Like Science Fiction

Many of the technological advancements we have today were first conceived in fiction. Scientists, researchers, and inventors often got their ideas for projects through science fiction stories. Take automatic doors, for example. Starting as a fun, futuristic idea in Star Trek: The Original Series, automatic doors became a reality when fans of the show with technical expertise worked to make them so.

The idea of a mechanical man came thousands of years before the first robot was ever built. In myth, the ancient Greeks envisioned a bronze automaton that guarded the island of Crete. They believed that only the gods could create life from inanimate materials, so they would probably be horrified to see what human beings have invented in this age of robotics and artificial intelligence. But the story of Talos, the bronze man, gave humanity the first glimpse of artificial life, and we've been obsessed with the ramifications ever since.

Who Was Talos?

In Greek mythology, Talos was a guard for the island of Crete. Some stories say that he was forged from bronze by Hephaestus, god of craftsmen and metalworking. Others say Talos was formed by Zeus and given as a gift to one of his lovers, Europa. A third origin states that Talos was the last of his kind, and that there had been an entire race of bronze men.

Whatever his origin, Talos was an artificial man made of bronze. He had one vein that went from his head down to his feet. In his veins flowed ichor, the lifeblood of the gods. At his ankles were nails/bolts or a thin layer of artificial skin that kept the ichor from seeping out. Talos spent his time running around the entire island three times a day, throwing boulders at unwelcome ships or heating his body until red-hot and killing intruders with a burning touch.

The Death of Talos

Talos might not have been the only artificial life form created by the gods, but he was unique in that he lived among humans. He began to act in more human-like ways and even felt emotions. These human qualities led to his downfall when Jason and his Argonauts arrived at Crete.

Medea, a witch and Jason's lover, was also aboard the Argo, and she used Talos' emotions against him to trick him. She convinced Talos that she could grant him immortality if he just removed the nail in his ankle. Talos, having come to fear death, listened to Medea, unknowingly allowing the very thing he was afraid of. He bled out all of his ichor, and the sentry of Crete was no more.

Artificial Life in Ancient Times and Today

The story of Talos had people pondering questions around what defines life and humanity long, long before we had computers or robots. His body was made of metal, but he had thoughts and feelings. By remembering how the ancient Greeks treated Talos, we can understand our need to ascribe human emotions to the AI around us today.

While fiction tends to precede reality in terms of what humans are capable of, we should make sure not to correlate fiction and reality too soon. After hearing about an ancient Greek automaton with human feelings, it's easy to imagine it's only a matter of time before our AI has the ability to feel as well. But Talos was a form of "biotechne" (Greek for life and craft), both mechanical and biological, with the blood of the gods flowing within him. Until we can recreate ichor, our artificial intelligence will remain simple machinery.

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