Golden age (metaphor)

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]

experienced several Golden Ages, including the Fourth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom, as well as the New Kingdom

Ancient Egypt

The period is considered France's golden age as it was a time when culture, science, and living standards reached their peak

Belle Epoque

presided by Pericles

Athenian Golden Age

were a golden age for West Africa, when trade routes flourished, leading to the advancement of Mathematics and Science.

14th & 15th century Africa

the period in Latin literature between Cicero and Ovid

Golden age of Latin literature

The age of the during the Principate, part of the Pax Romana period, is generally considered the zenith of the Roman Empire, and Edward Gibbon even considered it the happiest age of humanity

"Five Good Emperors"

the period between the 3rd century to the 6th century CE under the leadership of the Gupta Empire, during which Indians made great achievements in mathematics, science, culture, religion, philosophy and astronomy

Golden age of India

The of Mesoamerica (3rd to 9th century), the era when Teotihuacan dominated central Mexico and several important Maya city states reached their apogee

Classic Period

when Ireland was united under one High King and was significant in European art

Early Christian Ireland

Islamic Golden Age

[11]

A society's Golden Age marks that period in its history having a heightened output of art, science, literature, and philosophy.

Golden age of , 1850-1900^[17]

chocolate

1880s-1910s

Golden age of illustration

Golden age of board games, ^[18] or 2000-present

1880s-1920s

The , roughly the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th

Golden Age of the Piano

1920s–1940s

The Golden Age of Radio

between 1928 (sound) and the 1960s (television).

The Golden Age of American animation

The , which lasted from the end of the silent era in American cinema in the late 1920s to the 1960s

Golden Age of Hollywood

(referring to U.S. television circa 1950s) when television was still a fairly recent invention. Programs such as Kraft Television Theatre, Playhouse 90, and later Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone brought a level of writing to American commercial television that would rarely be seen in the next several decades.

Golden Age of Television

Golden age of Gameshows, late 50s to early 60s

[19]

Golden Age of , 1964–1972.^[20]^[21]^[22]^[23]

Muscle Cars

refers to a 15-year period (around 1969–1984) in commercial American pornography, which spread internationally,^[24]^[25] in which sexually-explicit films gained positive attention from mainstream cinemas, movie critics, and the general public.^[26]^[27]^[28] It began with release of the 1969 film Blue Movie directed by Andy Warhol,^[29]^[30]^[31] and the 1970 film Mona produced by Bill Osco.^[26]^[32] Those were the first adult erotic films, depicting explicit sex, to receive wide theatrical release in the United States.^[29]^[30]^[31]^[32] During that period, pornographic films emerged from underground studios, and became a full-scale industry with aspirations to become part of mainstream cinema.

Golden Age of Pornography

late 1970s-1980s

Golden age of arcade video games

1983–1992

Golden Era of Spanish Software

The , 1983–1992. A period when model companies shifted towards practical electric-powered buggies, leading to numerous companies (including toy manufacturers) entering the market and helping it to become the dominant class.

Golden Age of radio-controlled buggies

mid 1980s–mid 1990s a period when hip-hop music was arguably at its creative and artistic peak

Golden age of hip hop

Golden age of Manga, 1980s-1990s

[33]

1999–2023, a period of high-quality and often scripted American television programming that started with The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men (among others) and ended with the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes and streaming wars

Second Golden Age of Television

had enjoyed two eras; the first was the swimsuit clad race queen bubble of the late 1980s to late 1990s^[34] and the miniskirted second golden age of race queen of the 2000s, when the influx of models came with the ability to draw the same as or bigger popularity than some of the drivers competing in the events.^[35]

Golden age of race queens

A golden age is often ascribed to the years immediately following a technological innovation that allows new forms of expression and new ideas. Examples include:

At least one technology had its "Golden Age" in its latter years:

A cultural "golden age" can feature in the construction of a national myth.^[36]

Golden age of Swordplay, period of skills from the 16th to the 18th centuries

sword

Golden Age of , the period from about 1943 to 1968 that brought musicals like Oklahoma! (1943); Kiss Me, Kate (1948); West Side Story (1957); The Sound of Music (1959); and Hello, Dolly! (1964) to the Broadway stage

Broadway

Golden Age of , 1920s–1930s

British dance bands

early 20th-century

Golden Age of the British whodunit

period between roughly 1938 and 1945, though exact definitions vary

Golden Age of Comic Books

beginning in 1935 and ending in the late 1950s

Golden Age of Mexican cinema

period from the late 1930s through the 1950s

Golden Age of Science Fiction

Golden Age of the Western, of the movie, 1930s–1960s

Western

an era of detective fiction between World Wars I and II, epitomised by Agatha Christie

Golden Age of Detective Fiction

Golden age of the Italian horror movie (c. 1957–1979)

Golden age of , 1950s

Japanese cinema

The golden age of buffets,^[37] 1980s to the early 1990s

Fast Food

Golden Age of , 1990s

romantic comedies

Golden age of ,^[38] 1999 to 2005

J-horror

The golden age of , 1990s to early 2000s

console RPGs

Technology and creativity spawn new genres or new surges in the production of literature and the arts. The onset (or dominance or heyday) of a new genre/movement, in popular parlance, becomes its "Golden Age". For example:

(1992–present)

Golden age of cosmology

upon its entering the mainstream of theoretical physics, 1960–1975.

Golden age of general relativity

(19th century) with modern physics (quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity)

Golden age of physics

a National Park Service pass for citizens who are 62 or older.

Golden Age Passport

Some companies use "Golden Age" as a marketing euphemism for "senior citizen", itself a euphemism for "old person".

The (1854–1865), during which many major Alpine peaks saw their first ascents.

golden age of alpinism

The (1890–1914)

Golden Age of cricket

(1920–1960)

Golden age of baseball

Golden age of American soccer (1921-1931)

[39]

(1937–1959)

Golden Age of Roller Skating

Golden age of (1940s-1970s)

Bowling

Golden Age of ^[40] (1950s-1960s)

American Football

(1968–1972)

Golden Age of Trans-Am Series

(1983–1986), when loosened design rules produced powerful cars and a peak of popularity.