A depiction of Talos from Thomas Bulfinch’s Stories of Gods and Heroes (1920), drawn by English artist Sybil Tawse (1886–1971).

c. 400 BCE

TALOS

“Many people are familiar with the figure of Talos,” writes author Brian Haughton, “through his depiction as a bronze giant in the 1963 movie Jason and the Argonauts. . . . But where did the idea for Talos come from, and could he have been the first robot in history?”

According to Greek mythology, Talos was a huge bronze automaton whose job was to protect Europa—the mother of King Minos of Crete—from invaders, pirates, and other enemies. Talos was programmed to patrol the island’s shores by circling the entirety of Crete three times each day. One way of deterring foes involved throwing huge boulders down on them. At other times, the giant robot would leap into a fire until he glowed with heat, then hug the enemy’s body to burn him to death. Talos is sometimes depicted as a winged creature, as was discovered on coins in Phaistos, Crete, from around 300 BCE; other vase paintings date to around 400 BCE.

Various explanations have been given regarding the creation and death of Talos. In one myth, he is made by Hephaestus—the Greek god of metalworking, metallurgy, fire, blacksmiths, and other artisans—at the request of Zeus. Because Talos was an automaton, his internal structure was less complex than a human’s; in fact, Talos had just one vein that ran from his neck to his ankle. The vein was sealed and protected from leaking by a bronze nail at the ankle. According to one legend, the sorceress Medea drove him mad with death spirits (Keres) and caused him to dislodge the nail. The ichor (i.e., divine blood) then gushed out of him “like molten lead,” killing him.

Talos is just one example showing how the ancient Greeks thought about robots and other automata. For another, consider the work of mathematician Archytas (428–347 BCE), who may have designed and built an automaton driven by steam in the form of a self-propelled flying bird called “The Pigeon.”