Many are familiar with the figure of the bronze giant Talos thanks to the movie "Jason and the Argonauts", which used the amazing special effects of Ray Harrihausen. But where did the legend of Talos come from, and isn't he the first robot in history?
Indeed, the myths and legends of Crete contain several versions of the origin of Talos. After Zeus kidnapped Europa and sent her to Crete, he presented her with three things that demonstrate his love, one of which was the giant bronze robot Thaloe. Another version, the giant was forged by Hephaestus with Cyclops and presented to the king of Crete Minos. According to another myth, Taloye was the son of Croesus and the father of Festus, or the brother of Minos. It was probably a bull, the image of which people associated with the Minotaur from the Cretan labyrinth. Apollonius of Rhodes in the "Argonautica" says that "he was a breed of people from bronze, from an ash tree, the last surviving of the sons of the gods."
Thaloe, or Tal, in the ancient Cretan dialect means "sun". In Crete, the god Zeus was also called Zeus Talaio-som. Thaloe was the defender of the island of Crete. He went around the island three times a day, protecting it from enemy invasions, and also preventing the local population from leaving the island without Minos's permission. Three times a year he visited the Cretan settlements with bronze tablets in his hands, on which the sacred laws of Minos were written, since he was also responsible for their implementation. It was rumored that Thawed threw huge stones at the approaching enemy ships so that they could not land on the shore. If the enemy managed to avoid the hail of stones, the copper giant threw himself into the fire and, glowing red-hot, enclosed the strangers who had landed on the shore in a flaming embrace. They say that Taloye used to belong to the people of Sardinia, and when they refused to hand it over to Minos,he pressed them to his chest and threw himself into the fire. From this, apparently, came the expression "sardonic laughter", which is used in relation to those who laugh at their own or other people's problems.
Jason and the Argonauts encountered Talos when, having obtained the Golden Fleece, they sailed home and landed on Crete along the way. The giant kept the ship "Argo" in the bay, throwing huge boulders at them, which he broke off from the sheer cliffs. Medea, accompanying Jason, used magic to reflect the devastating blows of Talos. Legend has it that “his whole body, all his limbs were bronze and invulnerable; only under one tendon on the ankle was a blood-red vein, and this vein, which contained his life and death, was covered with a thin skin. A thin nail prevented the divine ichor (an oily substance considered to be the blood of the gods) from flowing out, which allowed the metal limbs to move. It was the only weak spot on his body. The "Argonautics" tells how Medea enchanted a giant with her piercing gaze,and then by singing she summoned ker (spirits of death). Thaloye tried to throw stones at the howling spirits, but accidentally caught a sharp stone with a vulnerable spot and fell to the ground. Divine ichor flowed out like molten lead. According to another version, Medea bewitched the bronze man and deceived him, saying that she would give him a secret potion that would make him immortal if he allowed her to stay on the island. Thaloe agreed and drank the potion, which instantly put him to sleep. Then Medea pulled out a bronze nail from his heel and the giant died.if he lets her stay on the island. Thaloe agreed and drank the potion, which instantly put him to sleep. Then Medea pulled out a bronze nail from his heel and the giant died.if he lets her stay on the island. Thaloe agreed and drank the potion, which instantly put him to sleep. Then Medea pulled out a bronze nail from his heel and the giant died.
Another version says that the Argonaut Peant (the father of Philoktet, who took part in the Trojan War) fell into the giant's vein with an arrow, and when Thaloe died, the Argo calmly landed on the shores of Crete. In the Cretan city of Festa, coins of the 4th - 3rd centuries were found. BC e. with the image of Talos. On the red-figure crater (vase) of the late 5th century. the brothers Dioscuri (the hero-gods Castor and Pollux) were depicted, who support the dying Talos, and Medea in an oriental dress stands to the side in front of the ship "Argo" with an embroidered bag in her hands (it probably contained her magic potions and potions).
The legend of the bronze Cretan man is interpreted in different ways. It must be said that the myth of Talos is reminiscent of the legend of Achilles, who suffered the same fate during the Trojan War. Consequently, both legends may be based on the same sources. From the point of view of political history, Taloe personifies the Minoan fleet, armed with metal weapons. When the troops of mainland Greece in the person of the Argonauts from the ship "Argo" defeated Talos, Crete lost its dominance and control over the Greek world moved to the mainland of Greece. Or perhaps. Thawed symbolized the Minoan guards who guarded the harbors of Crete from pirates who overpowered the island. There were three observation posts from which patrols went on patrol. Poet Robert Graves believes that Talos' only vein is connected with the mystery of ancient bronze production. They were made using the “cire perdue” method (with lost wax). First, a model was molded from clay and filled with wax. Then covered with a clay mold with holes. After heating, the wax flowed out through the holes (hence the name of the method), and molten metal was poured into the resulting void.
A religiously based hypothesis came about after the stone seals were discovered around 1500 BC. e. depicting a goddess or priestess sailing on a boat to sea tombs, which resembles the movement of a bronze warrior around the island. As mentioned above, "melted" means the sun, so Robert Graves assumed that Talos-sun actually circled the island once a day. Since Thaloe is a bronze image of the sun, it was also called a calf (bull), and the Cretan year is divided into three seasons, visiting the villages three times a year could mean a procession of the Sun King wearing a ritual mask of a bull.
According to another theory, Taloe was the first controlled robot in history. It was calculated that if Thaloe bypassed Crete three times a day, then his speed was 155 miles per hour. Supporters of this hypothesis argue that when the giant was wounded in the palm, instead of blood, something that looked like molten lead flowed out of the body. In general, the Greeks created many devices that were most often used in theater and religious ceremonies. History has preserved evidence of primitive ancient robots. In 350 BC. e. the greatest Greek mathematician Archytas built a mechanical bird, like a dove, which moved due to variable air currents. It was one of the first flight experiences in history, and possibly the oldest model of an airplane. In 322 BC. e. the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, probably foreseeing the development of robotics, wrote:"If each instrument, when told, or even by virtue of its inherent consistency, can do the work that it befits to do … then there will be no need for apprentices for craftsmen or slaves for masters." At the end of the III century. BC e. the Greek inventor and physicist Ctesibius of Alexandria invented the water clock with moving figures, which remained the most accurate clock in the world until the 17th century.
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More than 1,600 years later, around 1595, Leonardo da Vinci designed (and probably even built) an armored mechanical knight that is arguably the first humanoid robot in history. Inside the da Vinci robot was a mechanism that set the artificial person in action using cables and rollers, creating the illusion that there was a real person inside. This robot could sit down, rotate its arms and move its head, while opening and closing its mouth anatomically correctly. He could even imitate sounds: he walked to the accompaniment of automatic musical instruments - drums. According to the artist's drawings, it can be seen that all parts of the device could move harmoniously: their movements were controlled by a mechanical control device,which was programmed by direct coding and located inside the chest of the robot, and the legs were separately actuated using an external handle pulling a cable connected to important links in the ankle, knee and hip. Da Vinci's robot was dressed in armor typical of Germany and Italy in the late 15th century. It should be noted that in the Middle Ages there were only a few inventors who created similar machines for the entertainment of the royal family.
In 2005, employees of the Department of Biochemical Engineering at the University of Connecticut decided to recreate the da Vinci robot. Their project will include 21st century technologies, including "visual and auditory recognition, voice commands, computer-integrated mechanisms and more advanced body structure." The robot will also have a rotating neck so that it can turn its head towards moving objects. The re-created robot will have two control models: one will respond to computer commands, and the other to voice. Da Vinci's blocks and gears will be used in conjunction with a muscle model to simulate natural human movements.
But how much is this comparable to the robot that existed in ancient Greece? It is possible that Taloe was just a mythical figure. However, the giant bronze man of Crete could be the prototype of all modern robots.
B. Houghton. "Great secrets and mysteries of history"