Learn English – Word request: a period of time in which someone’s best work was done

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I'm looking for a word or phrase similar to "opus magnum" or "masterpiece", but refering instead to a period of time in which a scholar or artist made their greatest achievements.

For example:

Mozart held a variety of positions throughout his life, but many consider his time spent in Vienna to be his xxxxx.

Edit:

Thanks for all the great answers so far! To give a bit of context, I'm writing a thesis about atomic clocks and I want to make the following simile:

If timekeeping was born in Egypt 8000 years ago and 1955 was its coming of age, we may today be witnessing its xxxxx.

Initially I was thinking "renaissance" but it didn't quite work with the simile, hence this question. So far I think "prime" and "heyday" fit best.

Best Answer

You could consider prime:

From the Cambridge Dictionary: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/prime

the period in your life when you are most active or successful

For example:

Great Expectations was the next-to-last novel of one of the greatest writers of the 19th century, Charles Dickens. It was published when Dickens was at his prime, and after all the experiences that developed his style and skills.

Mozart held a variety of positions throughout his life, but many consider his time spent in Vienna to be his prime.

You could also use the phrase 'prime period'

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