TALOS was a giant, bronze automoton--a
living statue forged by the divine smith Hephaistos (Hephaestus). According
to others he was instead the last of the ancient bronze race of man. Zeus gave Talos to his lover Europa after
delivering her to the island of Krete (Crete). The
giant was given the task of patrolling the island and circled it three times a
day, driving off pirates with volleys of rocks. He was eventually destroyed by Poeas or the Dioskouroi
(Dioscuri) twins with the aid of the magic of the witch Medea as he tried
to prevent the Argonauts from the landing on the island.
Alexandria, Egypt was founded by
Alexander the Great in April 331 BC ,and became the capital of the
Graeco-Egyptian world. The second largest city in Egypt, Alexandria also was
called "The Pearl of the Mediterranean". The ancient port city was
home for one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - The Pharos of
Alexandria (The Lighthouse of Alexandria). The port served as a primary
center for commerce and trade linking Europe with the Middle East and all other
points along the Mediterranean Sea. It was an important route for merchants and
travelers of ancient times that allowed for trade and cultural exchange between
emergent peoples of the region. Within a few generations Alexandria become the
largest city in the world second only to Rome. Much of the city design and
construction came under the rule of Ptolemy and his successors, later by the
Roman Empire. The city was not only a center for trade but also became the
worlds first center for cultural and scientific research.
Mycenae (Μυκήνες) is one of
the most important archaeological sites of Greece. The founding of Mycenae is lost
in prehistory, but according to Greek legends, it was founded by the legendary
hero Perseus - son of Zeus and Danae, daughter of the king of Argos, Acricios -
who left Argos for Tyrins and later employed Cyclopes to build the
walls of Mycenae with giant stones that no human could move (thus the characterization
of the walls as "Cyclopean").
The Eupalinos Tunnel is considered as one of the
most important engineering achievements of antiquity. It's a 1036 m long tunnel
in Samos Island, Greece, built in the 6th century BC to serve as an aqueduct
and therefore supply fresh water from Agiades spring the city of Samos (Pythagoreion).
The Eupalinos Tunnel is an engineering feat of outstanding importance
since it was the first time in the history of mankind that anyone had ventured
to undertake a project of that magnitude with no similar reference. The Engineer
Eupalinos built a tunnel under a mountain by starting to dig,
simultaneously, from two portals diametrically opposite. All applied
measurements using maths and geometry are of outstanding precision. Moreover,
all evidence indicate that Eupalinos was ready to apply a solution
for every difficulty that arose, due to unfavorable ground conditions that were
partly encountered, as well as that he had the courage to bring his highly
difficult project to a successful end. Eupalinos worked as a modern
engineer 2500 year ago.
