The idea of epoch usually refers to a historical period.
From the Latin epŏcha , the term epoch can be used to refer to different concepts related to time . For example, it refers to the date of an event from which the years begin to be counted. For example: “On November 9, 1989, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, a new era in the history of humanity began” , “The defeat of the Dream Team in the 2002 World Championship marked the end of an era for international basketball” .
An era is, on the other hand, a time period that can be distinguished or defined by the historical events that occurred in it and determined its ways of life: "The costumes of the Victorian era are my favorite."
At a less precise level, the notion of era is used to name a certain period of time or a season of considerable duration: “At that time, men wore long hair and believed that a better world was possible” , “I have not seen the national team since the time of Kempes and Fillol” .
«Of the times» and «making the times»
In this sense, we cannot forget that there is the adjective “of the era” which is used to refer to something that belonged to a past time and was typical of that time. This can be applied to objects and things such as a type of pants, a car or a hairstyle.
Period costumes or furniture are those used to recreate a bygone era in theatre or film. They are therefore part of the scenery and costumes of the play in question: “I was impressed by the quality of the period costumes used in the film.”
There is also an expression that uses the term we are now dealing with. It is the verbal expression “to make history”. It is used to make it clear that a fact or event in particular has become a milestone in history, which will mean that it will be remembered for a long time.
The medieval period attracts many people.
A Spanish magazine
In addition to all of the above, we cannot forget the fact that there is a Spanish publication that uses the concept we are analyzing as a title. We are referring to the magazine “Época”, which was born in the mid-1980s and has since become a leading publication in the panorama of that country.
Of a markedly political nature, it is one that is framed within right-wing ideology and which in recent years has seen a thematic shift. Thus, now the same Sunday supplement of the newspaper “La Gaceta”, also includes reports and articles on issues such as beauty, tourism, gastronomy, current affairs, interviews with important figures on the national and international scene or culture (cinema, television, theatre, music…).
The two most notorious cases that gave relevance to the magazine “Época” were the accusations of electoral fraud against the former Vice President of the Government, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, and of drug use against the ex-husband of Infanta Elena, Jaime de Marichalar.
Geological era
A geological epoch , finally, is a division of a geological period.
From highest to lowest hierarchy, geological time can be divided into eon, era, system (or period), epoch (or series) and stage.