SKU: 35453720731

Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology

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Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of TechnologyThe fascinating untold story of how the ancients imagined robots and other forms of artificial life and even invented real automated machines The first robot to walk the earth was a bronze giant called Talos. This wondrous machine was created not by MIT Robotics Lab, but by Hephaestus, the Greek god of invention. More than 2,500 years ago, Greek mythology was exploring ideas about creating artificial life and grappling with still unresolved ethical

The fascinating untold story of how the ancients imagined robots and other forms of artificial life--and even invented real automated machines

The first robot to walk the earth was a bronze giant called Talos. This wondrous machine was created not by MIT Robotics Lab, but by Hephaestus, the Greek god of invention. More than 2,500 years ago, Greek mythology was exploring ideas about creating artificial life--and grappling with still-unresolved ethical concerns about biotechne, life through craft. In this compelling, richly illustrated book, Adrienne Mayor tells the fascinating story of how ancient Greek, Roman, Indian, and Chinese myths envisioned artificial life, automata, self-moving devices, and human enhancements--and how these visions relate to and reflect the ancient invention of real animated machines. Revealing how science has always been driven by imagination, and how some of today's most advanced tech innovations were foreshadowed in ancient myth, Gods and Robots is a gripping new story of mythology for the age of AI.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 04/21/2020
ISBN: 9780691202266
Pages: 296
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.20w x 0.70d
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SKU: 35453720731

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Kim Huckins
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
Freida does it agai!
Format: Kindle
I loved everything about this book. I love that every book Freud's writes, I am never right about the ending there is always an amazing totally unexpected twist that blows your mind! Highly recommend to EVERYONE
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Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2026
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Rhea
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 4
Calling all Freida Fans!!!
Format: Kindle
4.5 stars!!!! Mrs. Freida McFadden Fans!!! This book was soooooo good!!! I started reading last night thinking I will read a few chapters before bed. Well, it is 2am 😊 so, I couldn’t put it down. All the characters are despicable…but it a good way. I had this one figured out; I did, and BAM! No I didn’t…then, twist after twist after oh s*** twist!!! Poor Ezra…sweet little Teddy….the rest, all despicable, but like I said; in such a wonderfully twisty way!!! Naomi husband decides out of nowhere he wants a divorce. She later finds out there “is” another woman; Veronica. Their son Teddy gets shuffled back and forth from Jeremy's house to Naomi’s apartment, and……
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Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2026
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E.M. Bristol
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 5
Addictive as almond M&M's
Format: Paperback
I once read a book that blew the whistle on the abuses in the system that produces young elite figure skaters and gymnasts. One mother said of another mother that she was very likeable, but she'd cut your throat behind your back. That describes a lot of Freida McFadden's heroines (and their besties) to a t. At least one of the following always occurs in these novels. 1. If someone says, "Eh, I'm sure it's nothing," it's not. If someone believes their husband is too busy working to have an affair, he isn't. If someone suspects a knife is missing from the block, it is. 2. If a child or teen bitterly complains of being a victim of peer conflict, there's a good chance he/she is the instigator. They may even have committed or assisted in a murder in the past. 3. At some point, you will be told point blank that the character you have just spent a good chunk of the book with is the polar opposite. And even if you're familiar with the books, it may come as at least a partial surprise since this doesn't occur in most novels. 4. Everyone in the book has a secret, even if it's just hair dye. 5. There's also what I call the "Cold Case" rule: Don't argue near stairs. Ever. But I digress. At first, happily married to a great guy Naomi Roth doesn't really protest when her husband Jeremy, after having changed the locks, insists that she go and stay at the apartment he bought for his now-deceased parents. She believes, despite a few stray doubts, that he is telling the truth when he says that it's just renovations and that it will be better this way - and he's even thoughtfully packed for her. However, soon after that, Naomi is told in no uncertain terms that Jeremy wants a divorce, which makes her a pariah with her fellow mothers, except one. Is her husband having an affair, and if so, what secrets does his mistress have? And who the heck committed the murder in the preface (there's almost one in every book, so it isn't much of a spoiler)? As always, the author makes writing fiction look effortless, which if you've actually sat down to write some, know it usually isn't. Another addictive read.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2026
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Terri R
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 5
a life in letters
Format: Kindle
What a moving story. I thought I would be bored reading someone’s correspondence, I was not. This is a well written, interesting and moving book. A life in letters. Loved it.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2026
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Frank Mathews Jr.
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 4
Heartwarming & real!
Format: Kindle
Life can be so difficult ...this story is about learning that we all make mistakes along the way, doing the best we can. Its about learning to forgive ourselves. Beautiful.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2026

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