Adrienne MayorRezensionen

This is a 3.5 for me. A fascinating and engaging account of one of the most colourful non-Roman personalities of the last century BC, which is extensively researched and draws together a massive range of different sources and subject areas. Ultimately though, I feel like Mayor did not manage to prove her thesis that Mithradates was Rome's deadliest enemy, and there was a lot of hero build up and mythologisation which eventually only demonstrated that his greatness was more illusory than concrete. The fascinating nature of Mithradates' life and times though is indubitable, and Mayor's multifaceted approach to his character was certainly engaging, even if somewhat historically fantastical.

This book is not a novel but an odd combination of unrelated curiosities ranging from ancient times up until the present that reads more like a dictionary.

I expected more emphasis on deep research and analysis of curiosities from ancient times. While there were a few such as an attempt to explain Herodotus's flying snakes, other chapters discussed why wine goblets resemble female breasts and inexplicably, an entire chapter devoted to the author's pet weasel.

The book had its moments yet overall was quite disappointing and not worth the effort.½

The slightly chintzy title belies a noteworthy and rare biography of Mithradates, one of the principal enemies of Rome during the late Republic. A somewhat academic feeling book at first, it nonetheless recounts the remarkable story of the man who won a series of spectacular battles against Rome (and many crushing defeats). The book is interesting both for depicting the remarkable life of Mithradates (who tried to make himself immune to various poisons by consuming small doses of them) and as a another window into the disfunction of the late Roman Republic and the cultural divide between what would (much later) become the East and West Empires. As the author is quick to point out, the actual source material for the book is spotty, leaving much of the story up to inference and interpretation. While the author at times may take some apocryphal history a tad too literally, all in all, it was a good read for a fan of Roman history.

The premise looked interesting, but I'm just not all that interested in the details of Greco-Roman mythology, and the connections Mayor was making between ancient myths and modern stories of robots seemed pretty tenuous. I didn't get very far before I gave up.

Essays on ancient cryptozoology and related topics (e.g., tattooing in the ancient world). Fine if you are really interested in what now-extinct animals might have inspired legends.

I learned one key thing from this book -- that far back into history and up to today, the women of the steppes had far more autonomy than European or Chinese women. The horse and the bow and arrow, central to steppe life and to steppe warfare, equalized differences between men and women, allowing women to be more partners of men than their possessions. This is key when one considers gender issues. If women in one culture were far more equal to men than women in most cultures, what does this do to the assumption of innate gender differences.

In addition, I learned that, among the classical Greeks, there was widespread interest in Amazons. Amazons were featured much more prominently in classic Greek art than I had realized, there were many myths about Amazon, and there was also serious historical interest in the Amazons. This isn't as critical an insight as the one above, but it certainly affected my view of the role of Amazons in Greek thought.

Those are two plusses, and make the book worth reading, but be warned -- there are minuses as well. First, the book goes into way too much detail, listing grave sites and vase paintings that could far better have been summarized. Secondly, it spends way too much time on the "could it have been that --- " school of history, in which a lot of what is asserted about Amazons is based on fragmentary evidence at best. Finally, I listened to the audio book because I have vision problems: if you can, get a physical or Kindle copy. The illustrations in some cases sounded illuminating.½

This book is fantastic. The author expertly weaves together narratives of the pre-colonization Americas, the interactions between indigenous peoples and the "bone hunters" of the 1800s, and her own journey speaking to the people who maintain the knowledge of their cultures. I picked up this book looking for new perspectives about dinosaurs, but also found one more powerful example of how often non-European ideas are dismissed and ridiculed because the "authority" doesn't bother to listen (or even ask). I could not recommend this work more highly.

Adrienne Mayor explores concepts of artificial life in the ancient world of (mainly) Greece and Rome.

Talos is the obvious example, but apart from that I found myself going 'well, maybe, sort of' more often than with her other books.½

I really enjoyed this meander through augmented life in Ancient Greek myths and reality, and the connections to later science fiction and technology. Anyone who doesn't appreciate ancient technological thought (and anyone who does) would enjoy these chapters. That said, the book can be repetitive, some of Mayor's assertions seem an interpretive stretch, and there's no strong overall thesis aside from being a thematic exploration.½

Interesting, frivolous, well written but scattershot and lacking structure.

Do you like ancient mythology? Do you also like robots? Who doesn't? A cool look at robots and "made, not born" people/creatures from ancient mythology.
Mostly a look at greek myth, there's also a bit of middle eastern and asian myth in there too. It's also made me more interested in Medea and Daedalus who were just really cool.
There's some great creepiness that I love also - take the myth of the mortal Tithonus, whose immortal lover Eos asked the gods to grant him eternal life but forgot to ask for eternal youth as well. "When loathsome old age begins to weigh upon Tithonus, Eos despairs. In sorrow, she places her aged lover in a chamber behind golden doors where he remains for eternity. There, devoid of memory or even the strength to move, Tithonus babbles on endlessly. In some versions, Tithonus shrivels into a cicada, whose monotonous song is a never-ending plea for death."

I found the style of the German translation very hard to read, and gave up early.

Mithradates'i okudum. Bugüne kadar okuduğum en iyi biyografi kitabıydı diyebilirim. Batılı bir yazar tarafından yazılmasına rağmen oldukça tarafsız bir şekilde kaleme alınmış ve anlatılması gereken her şey anlatılmış.

Kitabı okumadan önce Mithradates'in hayatını genel hatlarıyla bilsemde sevdiğim veya saygı duyduğum bir kişi değildi. Fakat kitabı okuduktan sonra Mithradates'e büyük saygı duydum, Büyük İskender'den aşağı kalmayacak bir hayat yaşamış.

Anadolu'nun gelmiş geçmiş en büyük hükümdarlarından birisi olan Mithradates'in hayatını okumayı, tarihe çok fazla ilginiz olmasa bile tavsiye ederim.

Adrienne Mayor has written another interesting and informative book about an uncommon topic. Mayor starts by taking a look at how the ancient Greeks described the Amazons in their myths. legends, literature and art, then comparing this with archaeological evidence (bones, burial sites, vases, coins etc) to determine truth from fiction. She also takes a look at what the ancient Chinese had to say about the Amazons. This beautifully written book includes many black and white illustrations, maps and colour plates.

Interesting. Well written. Differentiates between fact and speculation. Vast quantity of illustrations - colour plates, black/white photographs and maps. Lots of very helpful maps. :)

Very interesting.

This is an intriguing synthesis of the legends of "biotechne" of ancient and classical and Hellenistic Greece, as despite not having the technology to actualize their most expansive concepts this did not prevent the Greeks from imagining what artificial life might look like and what the philosophical issues might be. Besides that though, Mayor notes that it should give one pause that a disproportionate number of these creations (Talos, Pandora, the Minotaur, etc.) came into being because of the tyrannical drive for power by inhumane overlords. Mayor wraps up her study with an examination of what actual Hellenistic technology looked like and some contemplation of our future.

Adrienne Mayor traces the appearance of biotechne or automata in the stories, poetry, plays, pottery and statues of the Ancient World, particularly in Ancient Greece, but also with reference to Rome, India and China. From the bronze automaton Talos, protecting Crete by running its borders 3 times a day, throwing boulders at unknown shipping, to Pandora, the artificial woman with her jar of woes that was Zeus' vengeance on the world for the theft of fire, from the inventions of the immortal Hephaestus to the very mortal Daedalus, this is a fascinating history of how the ancients imagined and embraced the idea of automation, how they created statues with moving parts and developed their engineering ingenuity to create the illusion of artificial life

The ancients were in doubt as to what artificial beings could be used for; labour saving, sexual substitutes and warfare. Mayor cites numerous examples of the sexual allure of graceful statues, some of whom were assaulted by night. And Mayor also reveals that the Ancients would have had little truck with Asimov's First Law - that a robot may not injure a human; The automata of the Ancient World were often created with vengeance, torture and punishment in mind

Its a fascinating book, and one that reminds us that concerns about the ethics and control of artificial beings is hardly a new concern; the Ancients were struggling with this three millenia ago

Mayor assembles a fascinating picture of artificial life being born in mythology and emerging into the real world during ancient times. This is a scholarly work, not a work of popular science. For me, that was perfect, as I used it for background research for my latest sci-fi novel, Turing’s Nightmares. There is repetition though, as Mayor takes ancient myths, stories, dramas, and fragments of manuscripts, jewelry, painted pottery, complete or in shards, and pieces them together in various patterns to reveal humanity’s interest in what we now think of as artificial intelligence and robotics. From Talos to Pandora, from Daedalus to Hephaestus, to ancient extravaganzas reminiscent of some Rose Bowl Parade, to Ajatasatru and Asoka’s robot guardians of Buddha’s remains, you can enjoy rediscovering some amazing ideas if you read this book.

Adrienne Mayor looks at how the ancients weaponised nature through the use of animal and vegetable poisons, disease, animals, and various forms of petrol and other flammable substances.

Fascinating, full of interesting tidbits. There really is nothing new under the sun.

This is an excellent book with fascinating facts that help you understand the life and times of Mithradates. I enjoyed the biography and learned alot about the history of Rome and the surrounding areas. I found myself feeling the struggle of Mithradates and felt for his losses and admired his persistence. I strongly recommend this book.½

I love this book for its historical accuracy every page was interesting to
read , If you are interested in bio weapons of ancient times THIS is the book for you. Its very easy to read into nothing to complex and the history does not drag and its not dry , The perfect book for a cup of coffee on a cold day.

Very complete, detailed and readable biography of Mithradates, King of Pontus, during the time of the Roman Republic. The book covers from his boyhood until his death in his 70s, still a fighter till the last. Raised among court intrigue: Persian and Greek, he early on began a lifelong study of poisons and their antidotes, testing them on criminals and each day of his life ingesting a bit, to render himself immune to their effects. He supposedly came up with a theriac [also called Mithridatium], a universal antidote; the formula for that has been lost. So far there has been no comprehensive biography of this man who led an amazing life: expansion from Pontus into a Black Sea Empire, and three wars attempting to ward off Romans and subjugation to them. Successful at first against Aquillius, Sulla and Lucullus, he finally succumbed to Pompey. His life was a series of highs and lows, victories and defeats, betrayals and loyalties. Cicero called him "the greatest king since Alexander." I could not believe the extent of his vengeance against people from the Italian peninsula in Asia Minor in 88 BC: fully 80,000 people were slaughtered, as revenge against unfairness of taxes and cruelty of Romans.

My only quibble was the amount of speculation: "perhaps", "it could have been this way....", "maybe". But this work seemed well researched as far as it went, with incomplete primary sources.

A clear and fascinating new look at the ancient world: http://allbookedup-elena.blogspot.ca/2015/02/the-amazons-lives-legends-of-warrio...