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In addition, in Works and Days, what Hesiod calls the “Five Ages of Man” are described, emphasizing work and the virtues and defects of men in each of them. To do this, Hesiod intertwined mythology with real events, including two famous mythological stories: “Prometheus’ Theft of Fire” and “Pandora’s Box.”
The five ages of man
Since its creation, humanity has lived through different eras. According to Hesiod, these were “The Five Ages of Man”:
- The Golden Age.
- The Silver Age.
- The Bronze Age.
- The Age of Heroes.
- The Iron Age.
The Golden Age
The Golden Age was the beginning of humanity. In Ancient Greece, gold represented good fortune, light and absolute beauty. Hence, this name was used to describe the period of greatest splendor of humanity.
According to Greek mythology, the Titan Cronos created men. At that time they lived almost like gods, they were pure, they had no worries, they did not feel pain and they did not have to work. They fed on what nature gave them. Death was like falling into a deep sleep. Upon death, men became benign and protective spirits.
This period was characterized as an ideal and almost utopian state, of extreme happiness, where spring was eternal.
The Golden Age ended when Zeus defeated the Titans in the war known as the Titanomachy. Thus he overthrew Cronos and consecrated himself as the main god of Olympus.
the silver age
The Silver Age lasted about a hundred years. After the defeat of Cronus, Zeus and the Olympian gods created a second generation of men who were less noble than those of the Golden Age.
Instead of a perpetual spring, this became only a season of a few months. People had to bundle up, build houses and start working. To feed themselves, they had to learn to sow and harvest. They were also characterized by including bread in their diet.
The life expectancy was about a hundred years, but the childhood stage was quite long. Children grew attached to their mothers and when they reached adulthood, they aged rapidly. When they died they went to the underworld.
The men of this age were ignorant and combative and did not honor the gods. This provoked the wrath of Zeus, who punished them by destroying them with a deluge.
the bronze age
This period was characterized by the use of bronze, which began to be used in Ancient Greece in the third millennium BC. c.
Zeus created men from ash trees, a tree whose hard wood was used to make spears. The men of the Bronze Age were strong and more quarrelsome than those of the Silver Age.
They were characterized by having bronze armor and more resistant houses. Their diet was based mainly on meat. When the men of the Bronze Age died, they also passed to the underworld.
Finally, the disappearance of humanity in this period was caused by the plague and wars.
The Age of Heroes
Although bronze was also used here, the fourth era was not associated with this metal, but with the exploits of men that were recounted in popular legends.
In the Age of Heroes, humanity was noble and heroic.
This period was characterized by the stories of Homer and by the qualities of the men of that time. They were strong and brave, and many of them were demigods, because they were sired by mortal gods and mothers.
Most died in the Theban and Trojan wars. Some went to the underworld and others to the Islands of the Blessed, a place similar to the Christian paradise.
iron age
The fifth era was the Iron Age, and included Hesiod’s own time. In this period, Zeus created the worst men. They were selfish, evil and cruel and caused all kinds of evil.
Iron was used, which was the hardest and most difficult metal to forge. Weapons, tools and fortresses were made with it.
Hesiod believed that Zeus was also going to end the humanity of this era. He didn’t hit it. That mythical Iron Age ended with the appearance of writing.
Bibliography
- Kimmel, EA The Great Book of Greek Myths. (2019). Spain. Planet.
- Hesiod. Theogony . The jobs and the days. The shield of Heracles. (2020). Spain. Editorial Art and Literature.
- Signes Codoñer, J. Brief Guide to Greek Literature from Hesiod to Plethon . (2019). Spain. Chair Editions.
