After everything else was created, there was still one thing missing, humans.

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After we've taken a look at the Cosmogony according to Greek mythology, let's switch over to Roman mythology. The stories of Roman mythology are very similar to those of Greek mythology, and there is a TOAD option that goes deeper into this topic, but they are not identical. As the stories about the creation of humans go, the Greek Hesiod tells about Five Ages of Man, while the Roman Ovid only lists Four Ages. For this lesson, we will take a look at Ovid's Four Ages.

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Humankind was created by deities, but the one deity responsible differs due to conflicting myths. Homer cites Prometheus as the creator, while Hesiod attests this to Zeus. The Romans adapted these stories into their own myths. Either way, humankind went through various ages.

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The first was the Golden Age, basically a perfect world. Laws were not required, everyone knew the difference between right and wrong and lived accordingly. There was no war, everyone lived in peace, there was no need to work, Earth itself provided everything that was necessary for survival. And this age occurred while Saturnus (the Roman equivalent to Cronus) was still ruling alongside the other titans.

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When the gods took over, things changed. The Golden Age was no more, and the gods created a Silver Age. The four seasons were created, so humans now had to build housing to keep them warm, and actually have to work to get food.

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The third age, the Bronze Age is only briefly mentioned. While there are still no crimes, humans are prone to grab their weapons and march into war.

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The fourth and final then was the Iron Age. Nations were created, truth, modesty, and loyalty were thrown out of the window and the humans now were warlike, greedy, impious.