Il mirabile e l'artificio

Monica Pugliara's Il mirabile e l'artificio: Creature animate e semoventi nel mito e nella tecnica degli antichi explores the ancient Greco-Roman fascination with artificial life, moving statues, and self-moving mechanisms. The author investigates how literary, philosophical, scientific, and iconographical sources conceptualized the boundary between human artifice (techne) and nature (physis). Organizing the study around distinct modes of animation, Pugliara systematically distinguishes artistic mimesis and divine wonders (thauma) from true mechanical automatons (automata) engineered via hydraulic and pneumatic devices. The book examines mythical craftsmanship—exemplified by Hephaestus, Daedalus, and Prometheus—alongside historical technological achievements from Hellenistic mechanics to Roman applications. In doing so, it demonstrates how these creations served not merely as entertainment or propaganda, but as theoretical models for ancient philosophical debates regarding agency, the soul, and socio-political metaphors like slavery. Ultimately, this interdisciplinary research restores a vital segment of the classical imagination, mapping the deep historical roots of modern robotics and artificial intelligence.