The Golden Age by Pietro da Cortona. Pietro da Cortona, byname of Pietro Berrettini ( November 1 1596 - May 16, 1669) was an Italian artist and architect of High Baroque

The term Golden age stems from Greek mythology and legend. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca It refers to the highest age in the Greek spectrum of Iron, Bronze, Silver and Golden ages, or to a time in the beginnings of Humanity which was perceived as an ideal state, or utopia, when mankind was pure and immortal. Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the A "Golden Age" is known as a period of peace, harmony, stability and prosperity. Peace, in the modern usage is a concept defined by the ideal state of relationship as absence of hostility at the international level that of a War. In literary works, the Golden Age usually ends with a devastating event, which brings about the Fall of Man (see Ages of Man). The Fall of Man, or simply the Fall, in Christian doctrine refers to the transition of the first humans from a state of innocent obedience to God, The Ages of Man are the stages of human existence on the Earth according to Classical mythology. An analogous idea can be found in the religious and philosophical traditions of the Far East. The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia. For example, the Vedic or ancient Hindu culture saw history as cyclical composed of yugas with alternating Dark and Golden ages. The Kali yuga (Iron Age), Dwapara yuga (Bronze Age), Treta yuga (Silver age) and Satya yuga (Golden age) correspond to the four Greek ages. Similar beliefs can be found in the ancient Middle East and throughout the ancient world. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.

According to Giorgio de Santillana, the former professor of history at MIT, and co-author of the book Hamlet's Mill^[1], there are over 200 myth and folkstories from over 30 ancient cultures that spoke of a cycle of the ages tied to the movement of the heavens. Hamlet's Mill (first published by Gambit Boston 1969 by Giorgio de Santillana (a professor of the history of science at MIT and Hertha von Dechend Some Utopianist beliefs, both political and religious, hold that the Golden Age will return after a period of blessedness and gradual decadence is completed. Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the Other proponents, including many modern day Hindus, believe a Golden age will gradually return as a natural consequence of the changing yugas.

Some pastoral works of fiction depict life in an imaginary Arcadia as being a continuation of life in the Golden Age; the shepherds of such a land have not allowed themselves to be corrupted into civilization. Pastoral, as an adjective refers to the lifestyle of Shepherds and Pastoralists moving livestock around larger areas of land according to seasons and availability This page is about the proverbial land of Arcadia for the province in modern Greece see Arcadia; for other uses see Arcadia (disambiguation A shepherd is a person who tends to feeds or guards Sheep, especially in flocks ^[2]

History

It happens both in Europe as well as in the Middle East, the idea of a Golden Age is part of a mythical interpretation of history, which divides history into several consequent ages, or (predominantly in the Middle East) into . . . . empires or historical epochs. The Golden Age (in India the Satya Yuga) is perceived to have been the first and best age, followed by the Silver Age and so on. The lowest and worst age was the Kali yuga of the Dark Ages when the decay of civilisation reached its nadir, prior to the renaissance period and the present Dwapara yuga. This perception of history is different from the current linear paradigm which does not recognize any cyclicality. The theory of historical ages is often thought to be the mythical expression of a philosophy of history marked by cultural pessimism, or simply the belief of primitive cultures. Cultural pessimism is a variety of Pessimism, as formulated by what is nowadays called a Cultural critic. A few modern theorists such as Walter Cruttenden, author of Lost Star of Myth and Time, believe the cycle of the ages has a basis in fact indirectly due to the motion of the solar system around another form.

Greek and Roman antiquity

A myth of ages can be seen in Europe in the writings of Hesiod in the late 8th and early 7th century BC. Hesiod ( Greek: Hesiodos) was an early Greek Poet and Rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BCE

The Greek poet Hesiod, around the 8th century BC, in his compilation of the mythological tradition (the poem Works and Days), explained that, prior to the present era, there were four other progressively more perfect ones, the oldest of which was called the Golden age. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" Hesiod ( Greek: Hesiodos) was an early Greek Poet and Rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BCE The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC. Works and Days (in Ancient Greek / Erga kaí Hemérai, which sometimes goes by the Latin name Opera et Dies, as in the OCT) The Ages of Man are the stages of human existence on the Earth according to Classical mythology. In this stage:

[. . . ] they lived like gods without sorrow of heart, remote and free from toil and grief: miserable age rested not on them; but with legs and arms never failing they made merry with feasting beyond the reach of all evils. When they died, it was as though they were overcome with sleep, and they had all good things; for the fruitful earth unforced bare them fruit abundantly and without stint. They dwelt in ease and peace upon their lands with many good things, rich in flocks and loved by the blessed gods.

In this age, Hesiod writes, mankind lived in absolute peace, carefree like the gods because they never aged and death was a falling asleep. The main characteristic of this age according to Hesiod was that the earth produced food in abundance, so that agriculture was rendered superfluous. This characteristic also defines almost all later versions of the myth.

The Orphic school, a religious movement from Thrace which spread to Greece in the 6th century BC, held similar beliefs, including the denomination of the ages with metals. Orphism (more rarely Orphicism) is the name given to a set of religious beliefs and practices in the ancient Greek and Thracian world associated with literature Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe Some Orphics identified the Golden Age with the era of the god Phanes, who was regent over the Olympus before Cronus. In classical mythology however, the Golden Age took place during the reign of Cronus. Cronus or Kronos, ( Ancient Greek Κρόνος Krónos) was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants In the 5th century BC, the philosopher Empedocles emphasised the idea of original peacefulness, innocence and harmony in all of nature, including human society. Empedocles ( Greek:, ca 490–430 BC was a Greek Pre-Socratic Philosopher and a citizen of Agrigentum, a Greek colony in

The Golden Age by Lucas Cranach the Elder.

Several centuries later (29 BC) the Golden Age was depicted in Virgil's The Georgics. Year 29 BC was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or The Georgics, published in 29 BCE, is the second major work by the Latin poet Virgil. Here, the poet looked back again to sing the good old times before Jupiter, when:

Fields knew no taming hand of husbandmen;
To mark the plain or mete with boundary-line-
Even this was impious; for the common stock
They gathered, and the earth of her own will
All things more freely, no man bidding, bore. In Roman mythology, Jupiter was the king of the gods and the god of Sky and Thunder.

The topic is taken up again by Ovid's in his Metamorphoses (AD 8):

The golden age was first; when Man yet new,
No rule but uncorrupted reason knew:
And, with a native bent, did good pursue. Publius Ovidius Naso ( March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD was a Roman poet known to the English -speaking world as Ovid who wrote on many topics including The Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid is a narrative poem Year 8 was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar.
Unforc'd by punishment, un-aw'd by fear, [. . . ]

Peace and harmony prevailed during this age. Humans did not grow old, but died peacefully. Spring was eternal and people were fed on acorns from a great oak as well as wild fruits and honey that dripped from the trees. The spirits of those men who died were known as Daimones and were guides for the later ancient Greeks (who considered themselves to live in the later Iron Age. Daimones is the name of a soundtrack album by singer Anna Vissi. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. )

This race eventually died out when Prometheus (a Titan) gave the secret of fire to humans. In Greek mythology, Prometheus (Προμηθεύς "forethought" is a Titan known for his wily intelligence who stole Fire from Zeus Zeus punished humans, allowing Pandora to open her box which unleashed all evil in the mortal world. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology In Greek mythology, Pandora (from Greek:, "giver of all all-endowed" was the first woman In Greek mythology, Pandora's box is the large jar (πιθος pithos) carried by Pandora (Πανδώρα that contained all the evils of mankind&mdash such

Within sequences or cycles of eras, the golden age stands alongside the silver age and the Iron Age, and conditions can improve or decline according to one's conception of mythic progression. A silver age is a name often given to a particular period within a history typically as a lesser and later successor to a golden age, the metal Silver generally being The Ages of Man are the stages of human existence on the Earth according to Classical mythology. The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore"

Also Plutarch, the Greek historian and biographer of the 1st century, dealt with the blissful and mythic past of the humanity. Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus ( Greek: Μέστριος Πλούταρχος c The 1st century was the Century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Julian calendar.

Hindu

The Indian teachings differentiate the four world ages (Yugas) not according to metals, but according to quality depicted as colors, whereby the white color is the purest quality and belongs to the first, ideal age. A Yuga ( Devanāgari: युग in Hindu philosophy is the name of an 'epoch' or 'era' within a cycle of four ages These colors were originally assigned to the planet Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury and Mars just like the metals. After the world fall at the end of the fourth, worst age (the Kali yuga) the cycle should be continued, eventually culminating in a new golden age.

The Krita Yuga also known as the Satya yuga, the First and Perfect Age, as described in the Mahabharata, a Hindu epic:

[. The Satya Yuga ( Devanagari: सत्य युग also called Sat Yuga, Krta Yuga and Krita Yuga in Hinduism, is the " Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation . . ] Men neither bought nor sold; there were no poor and no rich; there was no need to labour, because all that men required was obtained by the power of will; the chief virtue was the abandonment of all worldly desires. The Krita Yuga was without disease; there was no lessening with the years; there was no hatred or vanity, or evil thought whatsoever; no sorrow, no fear. All mankind could attain to supreme blessedness. [. . . ]

The Hindus make reference to at least two overlapping yuga cycles, driven by celestial motions, that affect conditions on earth. One cycle, the Maha Yuga, is millions of years in length and therefore difficult to relate to human history or events. The shorter yuga cycle lasts 24,000 years, including an ascending age of 12,000 years (one daiva yuga) and a descending age of 12,000 years, for a total equal to one precession of the equinox. A Great year (also known as a Platonic year or Equinoctial cycle) is the time required for one complete cycle of the Precession of the equinoxes, Both cycles are composed of the four eras, and the Satya Yuga is the first and the most significant age in each cycle. This Golden Age era lasts 7200 years (out of the 12,000 years in the ascending period) and another 7200 years (out of 12,000 years in the descending period) in the precessional cycle. Knowledge, meditation, and communion with Spirit hold special importance in this era. The average life expectancy of a human being in Satya Yuga is believed to be about 400 years. During Satya Yuga, most people engage only in good, sublime deeds and mankind lives in harmony with the earth. Ashrams become devoid of wickedness and deceit. An Ashram in ancient India was a Hindu hermitage where sages lived in Peace and tranquility amidst Nature. Natyam (such as Bharatanatyam), according to Natya Shastra, did not exist in the Satya Yuga "because it was the time when all people were happy". The Nātya Shastra ( Sanskrit: Nātyaśāstra नाट्य शास्त्र is an ancient Indian treatise on the Performing arts Bharatanatyam (பரதநாட்டியம்is a classical Dance form originating in Tamil Nadu, The Nātya Shastra ( Sanskrit: Nātyaśāstra नाट्य शास्त्र is an ancient Indian treatise on the Performing arts

Christianity

According to Tom Whyte and John Ashton's The Quest for Paradise, the Golden Age idea contributed to the modern Christian views of Heaven. John Ashton may refer to John Ashton (actor (b1948 American actor John Ashton (guitarist (b Heaven may refer to the physical heavens the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the Universe beyond

The Golden Age is identified with Eden. Not to be confused with Eden Gardens.The Garden of Eden ( Hebrew "pleasure" גַּן עֵדֶן Arabic: جنات عدن, It is considered to return during the Kingdom of God, the reign of Christ which will never end. Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " See also millennialism. This is an article on sociological Millennialism You may be looking for the article on Christian Premillennialism. The church father Lactantius availed himself with his description "golden age" of the future thousand-year old of Christ's Kingdom including the usual characteristics (blessedness of entire nature, sumptuous fertility, animal peace, disappearing agriculture and navigation). Lucius Caelius (or Caecilius? Firmianus Lactantius was an Early Christian author (ca

Book of Isaiah ch. The Book of Isaiah ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'sha'yah ספר ישעיה is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived 65, which somehow is reminiscent of the mythological Golden Age descriptions, is believed to refer to that state.

17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.

19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.

22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.

24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

– Book of Isaiah

Another connection made by some Christians and Jews was that this was a reference to the Nephilim spoken of in the book of Genesis, as referenced from the Book of Enoch, a pseudopigraphal work. Nephilim are beings who appear in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Book of Genesis, and are also mentioned in other Biblical texts and in some non- The Book of Enoch is any of several works that attribute themselves to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah and son of Jared ( Pseudepigrapha (from Ancient Greek ψευδής The book of Enoch is quoted in Jude 14, 15. The brief Epistle of Jude is the penultimate book in the Christian New Testament canon.

Norse

The Old Norse word gullaldr (literally "Golden Age") was used in Völuspá to describe the period after Ragnarök where the surviving gods and their progeny build the city Gimlé on the ruins of mason. Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age Völuspá ( Prophecy of the Völva) is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. In Norse mythology, Ragnarök (rɑgnɑrɔk Old Norse "Final destiny of the gods" refers to a series of major events including a great battle foretold In Norse mythology, Gimlé (alternately Gimli) was a place where the survivors of Ragnarok were to live

Islam

Islam's idea of the Golden Age is when all of the Islamic Empires experienced a time of great economic growth and stability, centers of knowledge were at its peak, and its power was at its zenith. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation.

Early modern Europe

In early modern Europe, some called the Enlightenment a second Golden Age (the first assumed to be that of the ancient authors Homer, Aristophanes, Virgil and especially Horace); in England, the Augustan Age and the 18th century were then considered a Golden Age for the progress made in thought (David Hume), science (Royal Society), and literature (Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, Alexander Pope). The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Aristophanes (Ἀριστοφάνης ˌærɪˈstɒfəniːz in English ca Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or Quintus Horatius Flaccus, ( Venosa, December 8, 65 BC - Rome, November 27, 8 BC known in the English-speaking world as Horace England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland David Hume (26 April 1711 25 August 1776 Scottish Philosopher, Economist, and Historian is an important figure in Western philosophy The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 Daniel Defoe (1659/1661 — April 24, 1731 was an English Writer, Journalist, and Pamphleteer, who gained enduring fame for Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 – 30 May 1744 is generally regarded as the greatest English Poet of the eighteenth century best known for his Satirical

Fantasy

In modern fantasy worlds whose background and setting sometime draw heavily on real-world myths, similar or compatible concepts of Golden Age exist in the said world's prehistory; when Deities or Elf-like creatures existed, before the coming of humans. A fantasy world is a type of Imaginary world, part of a Fictional universe used in Fantasy novels and games In many works of modern Fantasy, elves are a race of semi-divine Humanoid beings Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus

For example, a Golden Age exists in Middle-earth legendarium. Middle-earth refers to the fictional lands where most of the stories of author J Arda (the period of our world where The Lord of the Rings is set), was designed to be symmetrical and perfect. In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, Arda is the name given to the Earth in a period of prehistory wherein the places mentioned in The Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings is an epic After the wars of the Gods, Arda lost its perfect shape (known as Arda Unmarred) and was called Arda Marred. In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, Arda is the name given to the Earth in a period of prehistory wherein the places mentioned in The Lord of the Rings In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, Arda is the name given to the Earth in a period of prehistory wherein the places mentioned in The Lord of the Rings Another kind of 'Golden Age' follows later, after the Elves awoke; the Eldar stay on Valinor, live with the Valar and advance in arts and knowledge, until the rebellion and the fall of the Noldor, reminiscent of the Fall of Man. In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, the Elves are a sundered people Valinor (meaning Land of the Valar) is a Fictional location from J The Valar (singular Vala) are characters in J R R Tolkien 's legendarium. Eventually, after the end of the world, the Silmarilli will be recovered and the light of the Two Trees of Valinor rekindled. The Dagor Dagorath, Sindarin for 'Battle of Battles' or 'Final Battle' is an event described in the works of J The Silmarils ( Quenya pl Silmarilli, radiance of pure light) are three brilliant jewels which contained the unmarred light of the Two Trees "The Two Trees" is also a poem of Yeats' 1893 The Rose. Arda will be remade again as Arda Healed. In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, Arda is the name given to the Earth in a period of prehistory wherein the places mentioned in The Lord of the Rings

In The Wheel of Time universe, the Age of Legends is the name given to the previous Age: In this society, channelers were common and Aes Sedai - trained channelers - were extremely powerful, able to make angreal, sa'angreal, and ter'angreal, and holding important civic positions. The Wheel of Time (abbreviated by fans to WoT) is a series of epic fantasy novels written by the late American author James Oliver The Aes Sedai are a society in the fictional universe of Robert Jordan 's The Wheel of Time book series The Age of Legends is seen as a utopian society without war or crime, and devoted to culture and learning. Aes Sedai were frequently devoted to academic endeavours, one of which inadvertently resulted in a hole - 'The Bore' - being drilled in the Dark One's prison. The immediate effects were not realised, but the Dark One gradually asserted power over humanity, swaying many to become his followers. This resulted in the War of Power and eventually the Breaking of the World.

Another example is in the background of the Lands of Lore classic computer game, the history of the Lands is divided in Ages. Lands of Lore or LoL is a classical Computer role-playing game series by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin One of them is also called Golden Age, where the Lands were ruled by the 'Ancients', no wars existed yet, until that age was over with the 'War of the Heretics'.

See also

• Ages of Man
• Arcadia (utopia)
• Garden of Eden
• Great year
• Utopia
• Merrie England
• Millennialism
• Satya Yuga/Krita Yuga

References

1. ^ Giorgio de Santillana, Herta von Dechend: Hamlet's Mill: An Essay Investigating the Origins of Human Knowledge and its Transmission through Myth, ISBN-10: 0879232153 (Hamlet´s Mill at amazon.com)
2. ^ Bridget Ann Henish, The Medieval Calendar Year, p96, ISBN 0-271-01904-2

External links

• http://www.maicar.com/GML/AgesOfMan.html#golden
• http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/a/hesiodagesofman.htm
• http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/golden_age.html