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The Golden Age and subsequent decline through inferior 'races' is an important element of Greek myth from our earliest mythological texts, and reflects a distancing between gods and humans. The utopian aspects of the Golden Age include a simple but entirely carefree existence, with no work, warfare or agriculture, yet no lack of food or shelter. However, the stages of decline can vary: the different versions of and reasons for decline are analysed in this lecture as critiques of contemporary life, using texts from archaic and classical Greece, and also a parody of the Golden Age from imperial Rome. This lecture concludes with an analysis of the 'invented' myth of Atlantis, found first in Plato, and considers its relationship with Golden Age myth as well as Plato's Athenian context. Copyright 2013 Rhiannon Evans / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.