The creation of earth involved filling the waters, air and rest of the world with living things of all different shapes and sizes. In this article, you will see some of the beliefs that ancient civilizations used to explain the creation of the world.
In the waters, he placed fish and populated the earth with wild animals. Birds took over the air. However, none of these creatures matched the gods in intelligence or had the capacity to rule over all other things, which is when the concept of man emerged. The ancient people believed that man was created in one of two ways. The god responsible for creating the components of earth made man from a divine seed. The second thought was that the god Prometheus molded an image of the gods from a clump of earth that had been taken from the ether and possessed a few qualities of the divine.
When man was created, the new being was able to stand tall and erect. He had eyes that focused on the heavens and stars. He was not like the other animals that had to hang down their heads and stare at the ground.
The first age associated with man was known as the Golden Age. This is a time period marked by the men listening and obeying without anyone actually telling them what was expected of them. They knew how to live righteously without any laws or the threat of consequences looming over their heads. No one ventured out too far from home. All of the men lived in harmony with their neighbors. From the earth, they gathered fruits without having to work for it or cultivate the land. Fruits, grains, berries, and flowers were at their fingertips even though the land was not tilled. The rivers were filled with milk and nectar. The trees produced honey that dripped from the branches. The only season that man knew was the springtime.
During this Golden Age, Saturn lost his rule on earth to Jove. This event marked the start of the what was known as the Silver Age. Jove was the sky god to the ancient Romans and he was responsible for shortening the spring season. He added the seasons of the summer, fall and winter. Because of this, earth started to change. For example, the amount of grain that man was supplied only came if the fields were plowed. Their surroundings needed the toil of man and beast to produce things to eat and use for their everyday living.
The next time period for man was called the Age of Bronze, which meant that life got even harder. Man started to engage in fighting with one another and the conflict changed the dynamics of earth. The last time period of man was called the Age of Iron, which was even harder than the previous ages. Man was exposed to harsher living expectations. The truth and loyalty that man once knew was replaced by greed, deceit, and treacherous acts.