Taking A Closer Look At The Age Of Gold

The Age of Gold is known as a time of peace and prosperity. The Age of Gold was created and ruled by the titan Cronus, a society consisting of only men. Cronus created an age where men knew nothing of sorrow, pain, or anxiety. In a sense, this was a paradise for men, a paradise that, in modern times, one can only hope to achieve. According to the Greek epic poet Hesiod, this age was "described as a period in which people aged backward." Gill: This can be attributed to the lack of stress that ages us in modern times; rather, the Age of Gold only experienced blissful harmony. Even in death, the men died in their sleep with no awareness of their passing. On the contrary, the Age of Silver followed; this age was characterized by its pursuit of

Opposed to the age of gold, in the age of silver, men were expected to partake in labor and learn to sustain themselves. However, the opposite resulted, and the people proved useless and foolish in the eyes of Zeus. Despite the fact that Zeus had created man to be “vastly inferior to the gods in appearance and wisdom,” (Gill) this did not stop Zeus from ordering the extinction of this society. Another reason that caused Zeus to make this decision was society's inability to “honor the gods.” (Gill) Considering the rash personality of Zeus, this narrative fits, as he was most likely seeking to create an obedient society. The creation of man in the Age of Silver differed in many notable ways. The first being who created man, in the age of Gold, man was created by the Titan Cronus. When Zeus defeated the Titans, the Age of Silver came, and Zeus created the people of this society. The Age of Gold lacked many aspects of the modern-day human experience, and the people in this age had it easy. Furthermore, when Zeus created this world, he “divided the year into four seasons," (Gill) which made it necessary for society to learn how to survive, unlike the preceding