Final answer:
Zeus discovered the wickedness of mortals through the story of the Bronze Age humans. He decided to destroy the earth with a flood, but Deucalion and Pyrrha were warned and survived by building an ark. The earth was repopulated with new human beings after the flood.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Greek mythology, Zeus discovered the wickedness of mortals through the story of a race of men known as the Bronze Age humans. These humans were violent and committed acts of impiety, refusing to honor the gods and engaging in warfare and lawlessness. Zeus became outraged at their wickedness and decided to destroy the earth by sending a great flood. Prometheus, however, warned his son Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha, who built an ark and survived the flood.
After the flood, Zeus repopulated the earth by turning stones into new human beings, who were less wicked than the previous race. This marked the beginning of the next race of humans known as the Iron Age humans. Through this story, Ovid's Metamorphoses portrays the punishment of mortals for their wickedness and the cyclical nature of human history.