Editing Automaton (section)

===Ancient===
[[File:Hero - De automatis, 1589 - 116959.jpg|thumb|The book ''About automata'' by [[Hero of Alexandria]] (1589 edition)]]
There are many examples of automata in [[Greek mythology]]: [[Hephaestus]] created [[List of Greek mythological creatures#Automatons|automata]] for his workshop;<ref>Him she found sweating with toil as he moved to and fro about his bellows in eager haste; for he was fashioning tripods, twenty in all, to stand around the wall of his well-builded hall, and golden wheels had he set beneath the base of each that of themselves they might enter the gathering of the gods at his wish and again return to his house, a wonder to behold. ''Homer, Iliad'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.perseus-eng1:18.360-18.387 18.371{{ndash}}376] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108104928/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.perseus-eng1:18.360-18.387|date=2023-01-08}}</ref><ref>he{{nbsp}}... went forth halting; but there moved swiftly to support their lord handmaidens wrought of gold in the semblance of living maids. In them is understanding in their hearts, and in them speech and strength, and they know cunning handiwork by gift of the immortal gods. These busily moved to support their lord{{nbsp}}... ''Homer, Iliad'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.perseus-eng1:18.388-18.427 18.417{{ndash}}421] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108104930/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.perseus-eng1:18.388-18.427|date=2023-01-08}}</ref> [[Talos]] was an artificial man of bronze; King [[Alkinous]] of the [[Phaiakian#The palace of King Alkinoös|Phaiakians]] employed gold and silver watchdogs.<ref>The automatones of Greek Mythology [http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Automotones.html online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106003132/http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Automotones.html |date=2013-11-06 }} at the ''Theoi Project''.</ref><ref>Hyginus. Astronomica 2.1</ref> According to [[Aristotle]], [[Daedalus]] used [[mercury (element)|quicksilver]] to make his wooden statue of [[Aphrodite]] move.<ref>{{cite book |author=Aristotle |title=De Anima |chapter=Chapter 3 |year=1907 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |url=https://archive.org/stream/aristotledeanima005947mbp/aristotledeanima005947mbp_djvu.txt}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0104:entry=daedalus-bio-1&highlight=automata |title=A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Daedalus |access-date=2022-11-08 |archive-date=2022-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108174445/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0104:entry=daedalus-bio-1&highlight=automata |url-status=live }}</ref> In other Greek legends he used quicksilver to install voice in his moving statues.

The automata in the [[Hellenistic civilization|Hellenistic world]] were intended as tools, toys, religious spectacles, or [[prototype]]s for demonstrating basic scientific principles. Numerous water-powered automata were built by [[Ktesibios]], a Greek inventor and the first head of the [[Great Library of Alexandria]]; for example, he ''"used water to sound a whistle and make a model owl move. He had invented the world's first 'cuckoo clock{{' "}}''.{{efn|This "first cuckoo clock" was further stated and described in the 2007 book ''The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern World'' by Justin Pollard and Howard Reid on page 132: ''"Soon Ctesibius's clocks were smothered in stopcocks and valves, controlling a host of devices from bells to puppets to mechanical doves that sang to mark the passing of each hour – the very first cuckoo clock!"''}} This tradition continued in [[History of Alexandria|Alexandria]] with inventors such as the [[Greek mathematics|Greek]] mathematician [[Hero of Alexandria]] (sometimes known as Heron), whose writings on [[hydraulics]], [[pneumatics]], and [[mechanics]] described [[siphon]]s, a [[Fire apparatus|fire engine]], a [[water organ]], the [[aeolipile]], and a programmable cart.<ref>{{citation |title=The programmable robot from Ancient Greece |author=Noel Sharkey|publisher=New Scientist|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19526111-600-the-programmable-robot-of-ancient-greece/|date= July 4, 2007 |volume=2611}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | doi = 10.2307/2846790 | issn = 0038-7134 | volume = 29 | issue = 3 | pages = 477–487 | last = Brett | first = Gerard | title = The Automata in the Byzantine "Throne of Solomon" | journal = Speculum| date = July 1954 | postscript = . | jstor = 2846790 | s2cid = 163031682 }}</ref> [[Philo of Byzantium]] was famous for his inventions.

[[File:Antikythera Fragment A (Front).webp|thumb|right|The [[Antikythera mechanism]] from {{circa|200–80 BC}} was designed to calculate the positions of astronomical objects.]]
Complex mechanical devices are known to have existed in [[Hellenistic civilization|Hellenistic Greece]], though the only surviving example is the [[Antikythera mechanism]], the earliest known [[analog computer]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Harry Henderson|title=Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Tla6d153uwC&pg=PA13|access-date=28 May 2013|date=1 January 2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-1003-5|page=13|quote=The earliest known analog computing device is the Antikythera mechanism. }}</ref> The clockwork is thought to have come originally from [[Rhodes]], where there was apparently a tradition of mechanical engineering; the island was renowned for its automata; to quote [[Pindar]]'s seventh [[Ancient Greek literature|Olympic Ode]]:

:The animated figures stand
:Adorning every public street
:And seem to breathe in stone, or
:move their marble feet.

However, the information gleaned from recent scans of the fragments indicate that it may have come from the colonies of [[Corinth]] in [[Sicily]] and implies a connection with [[Archimedes]].

According to [[Jewish folklore|Jewish legend]], [[Solomon|King Solomon]] used his wisdom to design a [[Solomon#Throne|throne]] with mechanical animals which hailed him as king when he ascended it; upon sitting down an eagle would place a crown upon his head, and a dove would bring him a [[Torah]] scroll. It is also said that when King Solomon stepped upon the throne, a mechanism was set in motion. As soon as he stepped upon the first step, a golden ox and a golden lion each stretched out one foot to support him and help him rise to the next step. On each side, the animals helped the King up until he was comfortably seated upon the throne.<ref>{{cite web|first = Nissan |last = Mindel|url= http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/1345/jewish/King-Solomons-Throne.htm |title=King Solomon's Throne|website=www.chabad.org}}</ref>

In [[ancient China]], a curious account of automata is found in the [[Lie Zi]] text, believed to have originated around 400 BCE and compiled around the fourth century CE. Within it there is a description of a much earlier encounter between [[King Mu of Zhou]] (1023–957 BCE) and a mechanical engineer known as Yan Shi, an 'artificer'. The latter proudly presented the king with a very realistic and detailed life-size, human-shaped figure of his mechanical handiwork:

{{blockquote|
The king stared at the figure in astonishment. It walked with rapid strides, moving its head up and down, so that anyone would have taken it for a live human being. The artificer touched its chin, and it began singing, perfectly in tune. He touched its hand, and it began posturing, keeping perfect time...As the performance was drawing to an end, the robot winked its eye and made advances to the ladies in attendance, whereupon the king became incensed and would have had Yen Shih [Yan Shi] executed on the spot had not the latter, in mortal fear, instantly taken the robot to pieces to let him see what it really was. And, indeed, it turned out to be only a construction of leather, wood, glue and lacquer, variously coloured white, black, red and blue. Examining it closely, the king found all the internal organs complete—liver, gall, heart, lungs, spleen, kidneys, stomach and intestines; and over these again, muscles, bones and limbs with their joints, skin, teeth and hair, all of them artificial...The king tried the effect of taking away the heart, and found that the mouth could no longer speak; he took away the liver and the eyes could no longer see; he took away the kidneys and the legs lost their power of locomotion. The king was delighted.<ref name="needham volume 2 53">Needham, Volume 2, 53.</ref>
}}

Other notable examples of automata include [[Archytas]]' dove, mentioned by [[Aulus Gellius]].<ref>''Noct. Att. L.'' 10</ref> Similar Chinese accounts of flying automata are written of the 5th century BC [[Mohism|Mohist]] philosopher [[Mozi]] and his contemporary [[Lu Ban]], who made artificial wooden birds ({{transliteration|zh|ma yuan}}) that could successfully fly according to the {{transliteration|zh|Han Fei Zi}} and other texts.<ref name="needham volume 2 54">Needham, Volume 2, 54.</ref>