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Science Fiction Chronology

Prehistory
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Prehistory
The prehistory of science fiction can be traced from the beginnings of literature to the development of the scientific method c. 1600:
• Classical Literature • Other Early References •
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Classical Literature
Homer mentioned mechanical servants akin to robots in The Iliad.

Lucian of Samosata (born c. 125 A.D) wrote a number of satirical dialogues based on fantastic ideas.

He was the first writer of interplanetary fiction. Icaromenippos or Journey Through the Air describes a journey to the moon with the aid of strapped-on wings. One of his more titillating passages describes the custom in which Lunar inhabitants choose to wear artificial private parts.

Thus Lucian is also the first writer to describe prosthetic limbs and cyborgs!
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Other Early References
Cyrano de Bergerac (1619-55), wrote Voyage to the Moon (1657), in which a traveler fastens a quantity of small bottles filled with dew to his body. The sun sucks him up with the dew and he lands on the moon.
 
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