Golden age (metaphor)

The metaphor of a *Golden Age* is often invoked for high points of lost knowledge in the mythical past of mankind, also in the context of lost continents such as Lemuria or Mu (also known as *Kumari Kandam*).

A golden age is a period considered the peak in the history of a country or people, a time period when the greatest achievements were made. The term originated from early Greek and Roman poets, who used it to refer to a time when mankind lived in a better time and was pure (see Golden Age).

The ancient Greek poet Hesiod introduced the term in his Works and Days, when referring to the period when the "Golden Race" of man lived. This was part of fivefold division of Ages of Man, starting with the Golden age, then the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, the Age of Heroes (including the Trojan War), and finally, the current Iron Age.^[1] The concept was further refined by Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, into the four "metal ages" (golden, silver, bronze, and iron).^[2]

^ Bartlett, R.C. (2006). "An Introduction to Hesiod's Works and Days". The Review of Politics. 68 (2): 177–205. doi:10.1017/S003467050600009X. S2CID 170625967.
^ Ovid, Metamorphoses. Trans. A.D. Melville. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986. pp. ix–xi

[Bartlett-1] Bartlett, R.C. (2006). "An Introduction to Hesiod's Works and Days". The Review of Politics. 68 (2): 177–205. doi:10.1017/S003467050600009X. S2CID 170625967.

[2] Ovid, Metamorphoses. Trans. A.D. Melville. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986. pp. ix–xi

[1]

[2]