Today, old stories turn from legend into experimental development. The University of Houston's College of Engineering presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ingenuity created them. When Icarus flew too near the sun, the wax melted and he fell to his death. Daedalus' flight and Icarus' fall have touched our minds ever since.
Most ancient legends have some basis in history.
I suspect this one does as well. The Romans twisted the legend. They placed slaves in the coliseum with building materials. No one ever succeeded, of course. But not all use of the legend was so cruel or crazy.