{"id":6605,"date":"2021-11-10T15:50:57","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T14:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/?p=191631"},"modified":"2021-11-10T16:58:18","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T15:58:18","slug":"the-mythical-genius-of-daidalos-the-first-polymath","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/rss_feed\/the-mythical-genius-of-daidalos-the-first-polymath\/","title":{"rendered":"The mythical genius of Daidalos, the first polymath"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Elinor Evans\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 10 November 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Such was the renown of Daidalos [also known as Daedalus] in ancient times that the Greek philosopher Socrates proudly boasted of having been descended from him. The legendary craftsman was a pioneering sculptor and architect, an inventor, engineer and scientist. He carried out major works all over the Mediterranean: Athens, Crete, Sicily, Italy, Sardinia and Egypt, and he also spent time in Libya and Turkey.<\/p>\n

Among his great works were the labyrinth at Knossos in Crete; a temple of Apollo at Cumae; a temple of Britomartis in Crete; the city of Akragas and a flood control system for Megaris, both in Sicily; large cone-shaped towers in Sardinia; and a gateway for the temple of Ptah in Memphis, Egypt. Some also believe that he was responsible for building the palace of Knossos.<\/p>\n

He was not wealthy enough to support his myriad projects independently, so relied on the munificence of rich patrons. Yet these, of course, could withdraw their patronage when they wished, and Daidalos\u2019s extensive travel was not driven by a sense of adventure, but was often because of his need to escape from some tricky situation in which he had become embroiled.<\/p>\n