ABSTRACT
To identify the living myth of the Golden Age beneath its various disguises, people need to bear in mind the archetype underlying the structure of all the relevant stories, developed over four millennia in the east and west and of the region surrounding the Mediterranean. The Roman period was of primary importance in this connection, since thereafter the name Golden Age was definitively established in the European literary tradition. At the end of the twentieth century, many people's still cherish similar hopes, and this explains the resurgence of the myth of the Golden Age in contemporary thought. There, it is represented by the Golden Age of Dilmun, which is situated before the first stirrings of history, since history recounts human divisions and struggles. The Greeks describe their islands as paradises and, starting with the Works and Days of Hesiod, the earth's spontaneous abundance became the characteristic feature of the Golden Age.
