-
Gods and Robots
- Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology
- Narrated by: Adrienne Mayor
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $14.78
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
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, long before medieval automata, and centuries before technology made self-moving devices possible, Greek mythology was exploring ideas about creating artificial life - and grappling with still-unresolved ethical concerns about biotechne, “life through craft”. In this compelling 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.
As early as Homer, Greeks were imagining robotic servants, animated statues, and even ancient versions of Artificial Intelligence, while in Indian legend, Buddha’s precious relics were defended by robot warriors copied from Greco-Roman designs for real automata. Mythic automata appear in tales about Jason and the Argonauts, Medea, Daedalus, Prometheus, and Pandora, and many of these machines are described as being built with the same materials and methods that human artisans used to make tools and statues. And, indeed, many sophisticated animated devices were actually built in antiquity, reaching a climax with the creation of a host of automata in the ancient city of learning, Alexandria, the original Silicon Valley.
A groundbreaking account of the earliest expressions of the timeless impulse to create artificial life, Gods and Robots reveals how some of today’s most advanced innovations in robotics and AI were foreshadowed in ancient myth - and how science has always been driven by imagination. This is mythology for the age of AI.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws
- And Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Nancy Crane, Adrienne Mayor
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adrienne Mayor is renowned for exploring the borders of history, science, archaeology, anthropology, and popular knowledge to find historical realities and scientific insights—glimmering, long-buried nuggets of truth—embedded in myth, legends, and folklore. Combing through ancient texts and obscure sources, she has spent decades prospecting for intriguing wonders and marvels, historical mysteries, diverting anecdotes, and hidden gems from antiquity, medieval, and modern times. Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws is a treasury of fifty of her most amazing and amusing discoveries.
-
-
A Cabinet of Curiosity
- By Austin Sailsbury on 12-07-22
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, & Scorpion Bombs
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weapons of biological and chemical warfare have been in use for thousands of years, and Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs, Adrienne Mayor's fascinating exploration of the origins of biological and unethical warfare, draws extraordinary connections between the mythical worlds of Hercules and the Trojan War, the accounts of Herodotus and Thucydides, and modern methods of war and terrorism.
-
-
A great read for those interested in Antiquity
- By Christopher on 07-08-10
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
Weavers, Scribes, and Kings
- A New History of the Ancient Near East
- By: Amanda H. Podany
- Narrated by: Amanda H. Podany
- Length: 18 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this sweeping history of the ancient Near East, Amanda Podany takes listeners on a gripping journey from the creation of the world's first cities to the conquests of Alexander the Great. The book is built around the life stories of many ancient men and women, from kings, priestesses, and merchants to brickmakers, musicians, and weavers. Their habits of daily life, beliefs, triumphs, and crises, and the changes that people faced over time are explored through their own written words and the buildings, cities, and empires in which they lived.
-
-
word of advice
- By Jim Davis on 08-04-23
By: Amanda H. Podany
-
Amazons
- Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Fran Tunno
- Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amazons - fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world - were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons.
-
-
Warning: Images NOT Included
- By Linda on 11-25-14
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
The First Fossil Hunters
- Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Griffins, cyclopes, monsters, and giants - these fabulous creatures of classical mythology continue to live in the modern imagination through the vivid accounts that have come down to us from the ancient Greeks and Romans. But what if these beings were more than merely fictions? Through careful research and meticulous documentation, Adrienne Mayor convincingly shows that many of the giants and monsters of myth did have a basis in fact - in the enormous bones of long-extinct species that were once abundant in the lands of the Greeks and Romans.
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
The Iliad & The Odyssey
- By: Homer
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 28 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Little is known about the Ancient Greek oral poet Homer, the supposed 8th century BC author of the world-read Iliad and his later masterpiece, The Odyssey. These classic epics provided the basis for Greek education and culture throughout the classical age and formed the backbone of humane education through the birth of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity.
-
-
Worth the price, worth the time
- By Sam on 12-31-04
By: Homer
-
Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws
- And Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Nancy Crane, Adrienne Mayor
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adrienne Mayor is renowned for exploring the borders of history, science, archaeology, anthropology, and popular knowledge to find historical realities and scientific insights—glimmering, long-buried nuggets of truth—embedded in myth, legends, and folklore. Combing through ancient texts and obscure sources, she has spent decades prospecting for intriguing wonders and marvels, historical mysteries, diverting anecdotes, and hidden gems from antiquity, medieval, and modern times. Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws is a treasury of fifty of her most amazing and amusing discoveries.
-
-
A Cabinet of Curiosity
- By Austin Sailsbury on 12-07-22
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, & Scorpion Bombs
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weapons of biological and chemical warfare have been in use for thousands of years, and Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs, Adrienne Mayor's fascinating exploration of the origins of biological and unethical warfare, draws extraordinary connections between the mythical worlds of Hercules and the Trojan War, the accounts of Herodotus and Thucydides, and modern methods of war and terrorism.
-
-
A great read for those interested in Antiquity
- By Christopher on 07-08-10
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
Weavers, Scribes, and Kings
- A New History of the Ancient Near East
- By: Amanda H. Podany
- Narrated by: Amanda H. Podany
- Length: 18 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this sweeping history of the ancient Near East, Amanda Podany takes listeners on a gripping journey from the creation of the world's first cities to the conquests of Alexander the Great. The book is built around the life stories of many ancient men and women, from kings, priestesses, and merchants to brickmakers, musicians, and weavers. Their habits of daily life, beliefs, triumphs, and crises, and the changes that people faced over time are explored through their own written words and the buildings, cities, and empires in which they lived.
-
-
word of advice
- By Jim Davis on 08-04-23
By: Amanda H. Podany
-
Amazons
- Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Fran Tunno
- Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amazons - fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world - were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons.
-
-
Warning: Images NOT Included
- By Linda on 11-25-14
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
The First Fossil Hunters
- Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Griffins, cyclopes, monsters, and giants - these fabulous creatures of classical mythology continue to live in the modern imagination through the vivid accounts that have come down to us from the ancient Greeks and Romans. But what if these beings were more than merely fictions? Through careful research and meticulous documentation, Adrienne Mayor convincingly shows that many of the giants and monsters of myth did have a basis in fact - in the enormous bones of long-extinct species that were once abundant in the lands of the Greeks and Romans.
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
The Iliad & The Odyssey
- By: Homer
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 28 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Little is known about the Ancient Greek oral poet Homer, the supposed 8th century BC author of the world-read Iliad and his later masterpiece, The Odyssey. These classic epics provided the basis for Greek education and culture throughout the classical age and formed the backbone of humane education through the birth of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity.
-
-
Worth the price, worth the time
- By Sam on 12-31-04
By: Homer
-
Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet
- By: John McWhorter, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: John McWhorter
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Embark on a journey to the very beginning of writing as a tool of language and see how the many threads of history and linguistics came together to create the alphabet that forms the foundation of English writing. Your guide is Professor John McWhorter of Columbia University and in the 16 lectures of Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet, he will help you navigate the complex linguistic and cultural history behind one of our most crucial tools of communication.
-
-
Fantastic narration & interesting content
- By Shelby on 06-06-23
By: John McWhorter, and others
-
Doppelganger
- A Trip into the Mirror World
- By: Naomi Klein
- Narrated by: Naomi Klein
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What if you woke up one morning and found you’d acquired another self—a double who was almost you and yet not you at all? What if that double shared many of your preoccupations but, in a twisted, upside-down way, furthered the very causes you’d devoted your life to fighting against? Not long ago, the celebrated activist and public intellectual Naomi Klein had just such an experience—she was confronted with a doppelganger whose views she found abhorrent but whose name and public persona were sufficiently similar to her own that many people got confused about who was who.
-
-
Elite Psychobabble
- By A Reviewer on 09-30-23
By: Naomi Klein
-
The Wordhord
- Daily Life in Old English
- By: Hana Videen
- Narrated by: Sara Powell
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Unlike Shakespearean English or even Chaucer’s Middle English, Old English—the language of Beowulf—defies comprehension by untrained modern audiences. Used throughout much of Britain more than a thousand years ago, it is rich with words that haven’t changed (like word), others that are unrecognizable (such as neorxnawang, or paradise), and some that are mystifying even in translation (gafol-fisc, or tax-fish). In this delightful book, Hana Videen gathers a trove of these gems and uses them to illuminate the lives of the earliest English speakers.
-
-
So Great! More please.
- By Danielle on 05-27-22
By: Hana Videen
-
Underland
- A Deep Time Journey
- By: Robert Macfarlane
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hailed as "the great nature writer of this generation" (Wall Street Journal), Robert Macfarlane is the celebrated author of books about the intersections of the human and the natural realms. In Underland, he delivers his masterpiece: an epic exploration of the Earth's underworlds as they exist in myth, literature, memory, and the land itself.
-
-
Wonderful book, disappointing narrator
- By Clare Woods on 07-05-19
-
Superintelligence
- Paths, Dangers, Strategies
- By: Nick Bostrom
- Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Superintelligence asks the questions: What happens when machines surpass humans in general intelligence? Will artificial agents save or destroy us? Nick Bostrom lays the foundation for understanding the future of humanity and intelligent life. The human brain has some capabilities that the brains of other animals lack. It is to these distinctive capabilities that our species owes its dominant position. If machine brains surpassed human brains in general intelligence, then this new superintelligence could become extremely powerful - possibly beyond our control.
-
-
Colossus: The Forbin Project is coming
- By Gary on 09-12-14
By: Nick Bostrom
-
Otherlands
- A Journey Through Earth's Extinct Worlds
- By: Thomas Halliday
- Narrated by: Adetomiwa Edun
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The past is past, but it does leave clues, and Thomas Halliday has used cutting-edge science to decipher them more completely than ever before. In Otherlands, Halliday makes sixteen fossil sites burst to life.
-
-
Great book brilliantly read
- By Dipam on 04-06-22
By: Thomas Halliday
-
Collapse
- The Fall of the Soviet Union
- By: Vladislav M. Zubok
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 23 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1945, the Soviet Union controlled half of Europe and was a founding member of the United Nations. By 1991, it had an army four million strong, 5,000 nuclear-tipped missiles, and was the second biggest producer of oil in the world. But soon afterward, the union sank into an economic crisis and was torn apart by nationalist separatism. Its collapse was one of the seismic shifts of the 20th century.
-
-
Hopefully Not Prescient
- By Joshua on 01-29-22
-
Leonardo da Vinci
- By: Walter Isaacson
- Narrated by: Alfred Molina
- Length: 17 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leonardo da Vinci created the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and engineering. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry.
-
-
Wish the sample was not from the preface!
- By Chris M. on 11-13-17
By: Walter Isaacson
-
Long Live Latin
- The Pleasures of a Useless Language
- By: Nicola Gardini, Todd Portnowitz
- Narrated by: Todd Portnowitz
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Long Live Latin, Gardini shares his deep love for the language - enriched by his tireless intellectual curiosity - and warmly encourages us to engage with a civilization that has never ceased to exist, because it’s here with us now, whether we know it or not. Thanks to his careful guidance, even without a single lick of Latin grammar listeners can discover how this language is still capable of restoring our sense of identity, with a power that only useless things can miraculously express.
-
-
Pronunciation of Latin is lacking
- By C on 04-01-21
By: Nicola Gardini, and others
-
The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World
- By: Robert Garland, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Garland
- Length: 24 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Look beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts. Over the course of 48 richly detailed lectures, Professor Garland covers the breadth and depth of human history from the perspective of the so-called ordinary people, from its earliest beginnings through the Middle Ages.
-
-
Tantalizing time trip
- By Mark on 08-21-13
By: Robert Garland, and others
-
The Technology Trap
- Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation
- By: Carl Benedikt Frey
- Narrated by: Richard Lyddon
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the Industrial Revolution to the age of artificial intelligence, The Technology Trap takes a sweeping look at the history of technological progress and how it has radically shifted the distribution of economic and political power among society’s members.
-
-
Very good
- By Brad on 07-04-19
-
The Iliad of Homer
- By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
-
-
Vandiver never disappoints
- By Machteacher on 07-23-13
By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
Critic reviews
"Dr. Mayor urges top tech bosses to closely analyse the stories of the Greeks as we close in on a future dominated by automated technologies." (Harry Pettit, Daily Mail)
"In her new book, Gods and Robots, Adrienne Mayor draws comparisons between mythical androids and ancient robots and the AI of today.... Through detailed storytelling and careful analysis of popular myths, Mayor urges readers to consider lessons learned from these stories as we set about creating a new world with AI.... Wonderful storytelling, thorough research, and impressive expertise." (Sarah Olson, Science)
"It is a place where megalomaniac leaders with an insatiable appetite for knowledge develop artificial intelligence and robots that pose grave dangers to humanity. Silicon Valley? No, Greek mythology." (Mark Bridge, The Times)
Related to this topic
-
The Parthenon Enigma
- By: Joan Breton Connelly
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this revolutionary book, Joan Breton Connelly challenges our most basic assumptions about the Parthenon and the ancient Athenians. Beginning with the natural environment and its rich mythic associations, she re-creates the development of the Acropolis - the Sacred Rock at the heart of the city-state - from its prehistoric origins to its Periklean glory days as a constellation of temples among which the Parthenon stood supreme.
-
-
dope book, lacked depth but overall worthwhile
- By Nicholas on 06-29-15
-
Red Land, Black Land
- Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
- By: Barbara Mertz
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 14 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Esteemed Egyptologist Barbara Mertz updates her widely praised social history of the people of ancient Egypt, which was originally published in 1968. Combining impeccable scholarship with a delightfully personal style, the author reconstructs the life of the Egyptians from birth to death, and beyond death, too.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Elizabeth on 04-03-10
By: Barbara Mertz
-
Primitive Mythology
- The Masks of God Series, Volume I
- By: Joseph Campbell, David Kudler - editor
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of such acclaimed books as The Hero With a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth discusses the primitive roots of mythology, examining them in light of the most recent discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, and psychology.
-
-
Epic speculation into the origins of our mythic consciousness
- By BGZ on 01-10-19
By: Joseph Campbell, and others
-
Amazons
- Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Fran Tunno
- Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amazons - fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world - were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons.
-
-
Warning: Images NOT Included
- By Linda on 11-25-14
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
Odyssey of the Gods
- The History of Extraterrestrial Contact in Ancient Greece
- By: Erich von Däniken
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Legendary UFO expert Erich von Daniken stirs up another controversy with an imaginative supposition: What if the myths of ancient Greece were attempts to describe events that really happened? What if ancient peoples were visited, not by imaginary gods and goddesses, but by extraterrestrial beings who arrived on earth thousands of years ago? The author's research into both ancient mythology and current archaeological discoveries leads him to some explosive hypotheses.
-
-
Good Research, but Draw Your Own Conclusions
- By Troy on 07-18-13
-
Introducing the Ancient Greeks
- From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind
- By: Edith Hall
- Narrated by: Sian Thomas
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Acclaimed classics scholar Edith Hall's Introducing the Ancient Greeks is the first book to offer a synthesis of the entire ancient Greek experience, from the rise of the Mycenaean kingdoms of the sixteenth century BC to the final victory of Christianity over paganism in AD 391. Each of the ten chapters visits a different Greek community at a different moment during the twenty centuries of ancient Greek history.
-
-
Surveying the Greeks
- By Jolene on 05-31-18
By: Edith Hall
-
The Parthenon Enigma
- By: Joan Breton Connelly
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this revolutionary book, Joan Breton Connelly challenges our most basic assumptions about the Parthenon and the ancient Athenians. Beginning with the natural environment and its rich mythic associations, she re-creates the development of the Acropolis - the Sacred Rock at the heart of the city-state - from its prehistoric origins to its Periklean glory days as a constellation of temples among which the Parthenon stood supreme.
-
-
dope book, lacked depth but overall worthwhile
- By Nicholas on 06-29-15
-
Red Land, Black Land
- Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
- By: Barbara Mertz
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 14 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Esteemed Egyptologist Barbara Mertz updates her widely praised social history of the people of ancient Egypt, which was originally published in 1968. Combining impeccable scholarship with a delightfully personal style, the author reconstructs the life of the Egyptians from birth to death, and beyond death, too.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Elizabeth on 04-03-10
By: Barbara Mertz
-
Primitive Mythology
- The Masks of God Series, Volume I
- By: Joseph Campbell, David Kudler - editor
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of such acclaimed books as The Hero With a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth discusses the primitive roots of mythology, examining them in light of the most recent discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, and psychology.
-
-
Epic speculation into the origins of our mythic consciousness
- By BGZ on 01-10-19
By: Joseph Campbell, and others
-
Amazons
- Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Fran Tunno
- Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amazons - fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world - were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons.
-
-
Warning: Images NOT Included
- By Linda on 11-25-14
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
Odyssey of the Gods
- The History of Extraterrestrial Contact in Ancient Greece
- By: Erich von Däniken
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Legendary UFO expert Erich von Daniken stirs up another controversy with an imaginative supposition: What if the myths of ancient Greece were attempts to describe events that really happened? What if ancient peoples were visited, not by imaginary gods and goddesses, but by extraterrestrial beings who arrived on earth thousands of years ago? The author's research into both ancient mythology and current archaeological discoveries leads him to some explosive hypotheses.
-
-
Good Research, but Draw Your Own Conclusions
- By Troy on 07-18-13
-
Introducing the Ancient Greeks
- From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind
- By: Edith Hall
- Narrated by: Sian Thomas
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Acclaimed classics scholar Edith Hall's Introducing the Ancient Greeks is the first book to offer a synthesis of the entire ancient Greek experience, from the rise of the Mycenaean kingdoms of the sixteenth century BC to the final victory of Christianity over paganism in AD 391. Each of the ten chapters visits a different Greek community at a different moment during the twenty centuries of ancient Greek history.
-
-
Surveying the Greeks
- By Jolene on 05-31-18
By: Edith Hall
-
Egyptian Mythology
- Captivating Stories of the Gods, Goddesses, Monsters and Mortals
- By: Matt Clayton
- Narrated by: JD Kelly
- Length: 1 hr and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book on Egyptian mythology is part of the best-selling series, Norse Mythology - Egyptian Mythology - Greek Mythology. In this ultimate guide on Egyptian mythology, you will discover captivating stories of the gods, goddesses, monsters, and mortals.
-
-
No lo vale
- By fer on 02-09-23
By: Matt Clayton
-
When They Severed Earth from Sky
- How the Human Mind Shapes Myth
- By: Elizabeth Wayland Barber, Paul T. Barber
- Narrated by: Beth Richmond
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why were Prometheus and Loki envisioned as chained to rocks? What was the Golden Calf? Why are mirrors believed to carry bad luck? How could anyone think that mortals like Perseus, Beowulf, and St. George actually fought dragons, since dragons don't exist? Strange though they sound, however, these "myths" did not begin as fiction.
-
-
The Volcano Book
- By Stanley on 02-05-11
By: Elizabeth Wayland Barber, and others
-
Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea
- Why the Greeks Matter
- By: Thomas Cahill
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best selling history writer Thomas Cahill continues his series on the roots of Western civilization with this volume about the contributions of ancient Greece to the development of contemporary culture. Tracing the origin of Greek culture in the migrations of armed Indo-European horsemen into Attica and the Peloponnesian peninsula, he follows their progress into the creation of the Greek city-states, the refinement of their machinery of war, and the flowering of intellectual and artistic culture.
-
-
Super super
- By Richard on 12-28-03
By: Thomas Cahill
-
The Secret History of the World
- By: Jonathan Black
- Narrated by: Robert Powell
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here, for the first time, is a complete history of the world based on the beliefs and writings of secret societies, researched with the help of an initiate of more than one secret society.
-
-
Not for beginners
- By Being of Light on 09-13-12
By: Jonathan Black
-
Uncovering Greek Mythology: A Beginner's Guide into the World of Greek Gods and Goddesses
- By: Lucas Russo
- Narrated by: Jared Zak
- Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Get to know the Greek gods and goddesses, from the mighty Zeus, to the temperamental Poseidon, the beautiful Aphrodite, and every character from A to Z. Who wouldn’t want to hear about Zeus and his command of lightning, Hades and how he found his bride, the wisdom of Athena, and so many other stories that capture the imagination. These stories can do more than just entertain; they can also inspire and teach us lessons that were penned by the Greeks themselves.
-
-
Wonderful book!!
- By Laura Preston on 12-07-22
By: Lucas Russo
-
Asian Journals
- India and Japan (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell)
- By: Joseph Campbell
- Narrated by: Fred Stella
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the beginning of his career, Joseph Campbell developed a lasting fascination with the cultures of the Far East, and explorations of Buddhist and Hindu philosophy later became recurring motifs in his vast body of work. However, Campbell had to wait until middle age to visit the lands that inspired him so deeply. In 1954, he took a sabbatical from his teaching position and embarked on a year-long voyage through India, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and finally Japan.
-
-
What a journey!
- By Anonymous User on 08-11-18
By: Joseph Campbell
-
How Do We Look
- The Body, the Divine, and the Question of Civilization
- By: Mary Beard
- Narrated by: Mary Beard
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From prehistoric Mexico to modern Istanbul, Mary Beard looks beyond the familiar canon of Western imagery to explore the history of art, religion, and humanity. Conceived as an accompaniment to How Do We Look and The Eye of Faith, the famed Civilizations shows on PBS, renowned classicist Mary Beard has created this elegant volume on how we have looked at art.
-
-
Really needs a PDF
- By Britt Elin Gihleengen on 12-06-18
By: Mary Beard
-
Mythology
- A Captivating Guide to Greek Mythology, Egyptian Mythology, and Norse Mythology
- By: Matt Clayton
- Narrated by: JD Kelly
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Discover captivating beliefs of the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Vikings in this book on mythology that contains three manuscripts. The first manuscript in this bundle is the best-seller called Greek Mythology: A Captivating Guide to the Ancient Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters.
-
-
Where did the time Go?
- By Kenyon Martin on 04-17-18
By: Matt Clayton
-
The Rise and Fall of Alexandria
- Birthplace of the Modern Mind
- By: Justin Pollard, Howard Reid
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Founded by Alexander the Great and built by self-styled Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome. It was the marvel of its age, legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse. But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual efflorescence it fostered and the library it produced. If the European Renaissance was the "rebirth" of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplace.
-
-
A good listen
- By Jeffrey on 10-02-08
By: Justin Pollard, and others
-
Odin: The Origins, History and Evolution of the Norse God
- By: Jesse Harasta, Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Anthony R. Schlotzhauer
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A one-eyed old man, with a gray cloak and a wide-brimmed hat leaning on a staff. A wanderer who appears when least expected, bringing triumph or doom. The god of prophecy, poetry and fate. A shape changer. A sorcerer. The god Odin cuts a dramatic figure in Norse mythology and is still a part of the popular imagination. He is the inspiration for figures like J.R.R. Tolkien's Gandalf the Grey, and he still appears in modern literature as varied as Marvel Comics and Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods.
-
-
Not what I expected but enjoyable nontheless
- By Goose on 07-13-15
By: Jesse Harasta, and others
-
A Brief History of the Celts
- Brief Histories
- By: Peter Berresford Ellis
- Narrated by: Christopher Oxford
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For centuries the Celts held sway in Europe. Even after their conquest by the Romans, their culture remained vigorous, ensuring that much of it endured to feed an endless fascination with Celtic history and myths, artwork and treasures. A foremost authority on the Celtic peoples and their culture, Peter Berresford Ellis presents an invigoration overview of their world. With his gift for making the scholarly accessible, he discusses the Celts' mysterious origins and early history and investigates their rich and complex society.
-
-
A bit dry, but overall interesting
- By Lokkish on 04-13-15
-
Atlantis and Other Lost Worlds
- By: Frank Joseph
- Narrated by: Blake Kubena
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Atlantis and Other Lost Worlds is the most up-to-date and comprehensive investigation of history's infamous sunken city. Nowhere else will you find a more dramatic and convincing presentation of the evidence for its archaeological reality.
-
-
Good for a substitute for melatonin!
- By joshua on 02-12-19
By: Frank Joseph
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Griffin and the Dinosaur
- How Adrienne Mayor Discovered a Fascinating Link Between Myth and Science
- By: Marc Aronson, Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Graham Rowat
- Length: 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Could griffins have been real? When Adrienne Mayor carefully read the ancient Greek and Roman descriptions, this mythic hybrid of a lion and an eagle sounded like something people had actually seen. What could explain that evidence? After a decade of hunting through myths, poring over old maps, and tracing the discoveries of modern dinosaur hunters, she found the answer: awesome dinosaur fossils observed by ancient gold hunters in the Gobi desert.
-
-
The Griffin and the Dinosaur
- By Amazon Customer Nate on 05-03-18
By: Marc Aronson, and others
-
The First Fossil Hunters
- Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Griffins, cyclopes, monsters, and giants - these fabulous creatures of classical mythology continue to live in the modern imagination through the vivid accounts that have come down to us from the ancient Greeks and Romans. But what if these beings were more than merely fictions? Through careful research and meticulous documentation, Adrienne Mayor convincingly shows that many of the giants and monsters of myth did have a basis in fact - in the enormous bones of long-extinct species that were once abundant in the lands of the Greeks and Romans.
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, & Scorpion Bombs
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weapons of biological and chemical warfare have been in use for thousands of years, and Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs, Adrienne Mayor's fascinating exploration of the origins of biological and unethical warfare, draws extraordinary connections between the mythical worlds of Hercules and the Trojan War, the accounts of Herodotus and Thucydides, and modern methods of war and terrorism.
-
-
A great read for those interested in Antiquity
- By Christopher on 07-08-10
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
Amazons
- Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Fran Tunno
- Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amazons - fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world - were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons.
-
-
Warning: Images NOT Included
- By Linda on 11-25-14
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
The Poison King
- The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome’s Deadliest Enemy
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A National Book Award finalist for this epic work, Adrienne Mayor delivers a gripping account of Mithradates, the ruthless visionary who began to challenge Rome’s power in 120 B.C. Machiavelli praised his military genius. Kings coveted his secret elixir against poison. Poets celebrated his victories, intrigues, and panache. But until now, no one has told the full story of his incredible life.
-
-
A mythic & complicated life of a charismatic King
- By Darwin8u on 06-15-13
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws
- And Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Nancy Crane, Adrienne Mayor
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adrienne Mayor is renowned for exploring the borders of history, science, archaeology, anthropology, and popular knowledge to find historical realities and scientific insights—glimmering, long-buried nuggets of truth—embedded in myth, legends, and folklore. Combing through ancient texts and obscure sources, she has spent decades prospecting for intriguing wonders and marvels, historical mysteries, diverting anecdotes, and hidden gems from antiquity, medieval, and modern times. Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws is a treasury of fifty of her most amazing and amusing discoveries.
-
-
A Cabinet of Curiosity
- By Austin Sailsbury on 12-07-22
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
The Griffin and the Dinosaur
- How Adrienne Mayor Discovered a Fascinating Link Between Myth and Science
- By: Marc Aronson, Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Graham Rowat
- Length: 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Could griffins have been real? When Adrienne Mayor carefully read the ancient Greek and Roman descriptions, this mythic hybrid of a lion and an eagle sounded like something people had actually seen. What could explain that evidence? After a decade of hunting through myths, poring over old maps, and tracing the discoveries of modern dinosaur hunters, she found the answer: awesome dinosaur fossils observed by ancient gold hunters in the Gobi desert.
-
-
The Griffin and the Dinosaur
- By Amazon Customer Nate on 05-03-18
By: Marc Aronson, and others
-
The First Fossil Hunters
- Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Griffins, cyclopes, monsters, and giants - these fabulous creatures of classical mythology continue to live in the modern imagination through the vivid accounts that have come down to us from the ancient Greeks and Romans. But what if these beings were more than merely fictions? Through careful research and meticulous documentation, Adrienne Mayor convincingly shows that many of the giants and monsters of myth did have a basis in fact - in the enormous bones of long-extinct species that were once abundant in the lands of the Greeks and Romans.
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, & Scorpion Bombs
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weapons of biological and chemical warfare have been in use for thousands of years, and Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs, Adrienne Mayor's fascinating exploration of the origins of biological and unethical warfare, draws extraordinary connections between the mythical worlds of Hercules and the Trojan War, the accounts of Herodotus and Thucydides, and modern methods of war and terrorism.
-
-
A great read for those interested in Antiquity
- By Christopher on 07-08-10
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
Amazons
- Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Fran Tunno
- Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amazons - fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world - were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons.
-
-
Warning: Images NOT Included
- By Linda on 11-25-14
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
The Poison King
- The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome’s Deadliest Enemy
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A National Book Award finalist for this epic work, Adrienne Mayor delivers a gripping account of Mithradates, the ruthless visionary who began to challenge Rome’s power in 120 B.C. Machiavelli praised his military genius. Kings coveted his secret elixir against poison. Poets celebrated his victories, intrigues, and panache. But until now, no one has told the full story of his incredible life.
-
-
A mythic & complicated life of a charismatic King
- By Darwin8u on 06-15-13
By: Adrienne Mayor
-
Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws
- And Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities
- By: Adrienne Mayor
- Narrated by: Nancy Crane, Adrienne Mayor
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adrienne Mayor is renowned for exploring the borders of history, science, archaeology, anthropology, and popular knowledge to find historical realities and scientific insights—glimmering, long-buried nuggets of truth—embedded in myth, legends, and folklore. Combing through ancient texts and obscure sources, she has spent decades prospecting for intriguing wonders and marvels, historical mysteries, diverting anecdotes, and hidden gems from antiquity, medieval, and modern times. Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws is a treasury of fifty of her most amazing and amusing discoveries.
-
-
A Cabinet of Curiosity
- By Austin Sailsbury on 12-07-22
By: Adrienne Mayor
What listeners say about Gods and Robots
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ian K O'Malley
- 12-12-18
a great overview
Mayor does a wonderful job of job digging up ancient myths that have relevance to automation. The references alone make this a worthwhile read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- VB
- 02-06-22
Pretty fascinating stuff
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to hear about little-known examples from history about ancient technology! Very cool and I enjoyed this even more than her other popular book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Duerger Prince
- 11-25-20
Not bad.
It felt like the writer was reaching at times and felt like they didn't have quite enough material to justify the book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-27-19
Overall a Fun Book
Word of warning it's almost exclusively ancient Greece and there are some comparisons that are a but of a stretch, but it's still pretty cool.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer Nate
- 03-27-19
Gods and Robots
Typical of the books of Adrienne Mayor this book was wonderful. As per usual it was well researched, well organized, and well written. Having read all of her books, I have delighted in each one and constantly look for her next publication. Mayor is an outstanding scientist, a great thinker, and a fine writer.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J. C. Dunn
- 01-04-24
Fascinating stuff
The book is chock-full of interesting information and will take you off on tangents of further research, but I found the narration annoying.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Andre
- 09-18-23
Excellent Book
My techno-savvy brother turned me on to this book after I told him I was studying the Greek god of invention, Hephaestus, because his creations of automatons fascinated me. "Gods and Robots" invited me to hear the rest of the story, spanning centuries, continents, myths, and artifacts, as ancient peoples dreamed of and built robots. The author makes a compelling case and backs it up with exhaustive research. This book resonates with our time as we deal with the Pandora's box dilemma of AI robots. I highly recommend this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Porter Jones
- 12-30-18
Awful narrator for interesting story
The narrator’s halting delivery is distracting and off putting. Better to read the print version of this interesting tale.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- C Makoski
- 10-31-19
disappointed
such a disappointment compared with the first book I read by Mayor, Greek Fire.... his book was very heavy on mythology. Not enough focus on examples of machines, robots, spent way too long on the myths associated with these things. And just because you can write a book doesn't mean you should narrate it. The performance was lackluster and there are a lot of other narrators who might've been able to breathe life into this book. I even skipped around some chapters but ultimately, even reading it out of order, would not be a book I'd recommend. I'd encourage another author to try same subject matter because it is so interesting.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful