Transcript Hesiod`s Ages of Man circa 700 BC

Hesiod’s Ages of Man
circa 700 BC
Age of Gold
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Time of Cronus (Saturn)
Men made of Gold by Cronus
No sorrow or work – always spring
Always youthful and long-lived – earth fed
them
• When they died, they ‘passed away like a
dream’
• Became kindly spirits dwelling on earth,
guardians of man
Golden Age
Age of Silver
• Duller than the first; men made of silver by
Zeus
• Had very long lives, but they were
contentious
• Didn’t honor the gods and fought with
each other
• Zeus buried them under the earth where
they became underground spirits
Silver Age
(Saturn
leaving)
Age of Bronze
• Men made of bronze from ash trees
(source of spears)
• Terrible and warlike nature; weapons and
houses made of bronze
• Hostile and aggressive, they killed each
other off
• Died and went to Hades, nameless and
unremembered
Age of Heroes
• Made by Zeus, they were half-gods (e.g.,
Cadmus) and spoke with gods
• Died in warfare but went to the “Islands of
the Blessed” (Elysian Fields) in the
afterlife, a beautiful and peaceful place,
like Eden
Age of Heroes
Iron Age
• This is our own – life is hard and miserable
• We grow old quickly and die hard after a
life of labor
• Men lie and cheat, betray their friends,
disrespect their parents
• A time of sorrow and suffering…