Ancestors
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| Ancestors | |
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 Ancient humans Yprin and Forthencho.[1]
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| Empire overview | |
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Type: |
Interstellar empire |
| Societal overview | |
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Capital: |
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Tier 1 | |
| Historical overview | |
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Formation: |
c. 150,000 BCE |
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Dissolution: |
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- "Once, we were one great race, united in power and concerted in our goals..."
- — Forthencho[2]
The Ancestors,[3][4] scientifically designated archeohomina,[5] and commonly referred to as ancient humanity,[6][7] were a prehistoric, technologically advanced civilization of the human species that rose to preeminence in the Milky Way galaxy by approximately 150,000 BCE. Having first achieved interstellar travel over a million years earlier and colonized planets across the Orion Arm toward the galactic border, humans became a major political and military power rivaling the Forerunners; indeed, the Didact considered them the second greatest military power and the latest challenge to Forerunner influence. Over a hundred thousand years later, the Librarian would tell John-117 that they were the greatest threat ever faced by the Forerunners.[8] Members of the most predominant human species of this era were on average larger, stronger, and significantly more intelligent than modern humans.[6] This civilization allied with the contemporary San'Shyuum and later waged war against the Flood, only to come into conflict with the Forerunners; they ultimately suffered a disastrous defeat against the Forerunners and were subsequently regressed into hunter-gatherers, confined to their ancient homeworld.
History[edit]
Origin and rise[edit]
Having presumably evolved and achieved civilization on Earth, originally known as "Erda" or "Erde-Tyrene",[9] humanity first became a spacefaring civilization at some point prior to 1,100,000 BCE. These early humans settled on numerous worlds along the galactic margin; these regions would be targeted by the Flood's initial assault over a million years later.[10] Early in their history, long before encountering the Forerunners, humanity underwent a series of technological dark ages, which left their populations scattered across many worlds and resulted in the loss of most of their records, including the knowledge of Earth being their potential original homeworld. It was not until much later when scientists led by Yprin Yprikushma traced humanity's potential origin to Earth.[9] Around 150,000 BCE humanity moved their civilization outward along the Orion Arm, possibly to flee Forerunner control.[11] They first settled in and built up population centers in two star systems dozens of light years away from Sol before stringing outposts together across nearly thirty thousand light years toward the galactic margin of the galaxy.[12]
After recovering from their dark ages, humanity made the former Precursor world Charum Hakkor their capital, to be close to one of the greatest collections of Precursor structures.[13] Humanity also formed an alliance with the San'Shyuum species in order to gain access to their advanced technology.[14] At their height, humanity's technological advancement nearly rivaled that of the Forerunners.[15]
War[edit]
- Main article: Plague War
This civilization encountered the Flood by 108,764 BCE at the latest and went to war against the parasite after discovering its true nature. After losing many planets to the Flood, humanity desperately invaded a minor sector of the Forerunners' ecumene, ostensibly in an attempt to seize new territory to replace the worlds they had lost, though at least some instances of this seeming aggression were in fact humanity sterilizing worlds where Flood infestation had already taken hold. Nevertheless, the Forerunners responded violently to this aggression and waged war with the humans and their San'Shyuum allies. The resulting conflicts lasted for a thousand years.[8]
In 107,564 BCE, forty years before the last conflict between humanity and the Forerunners, a human expeditionary group encountered an ancient being held in hibernation on a planet near the galaxy's edges. Under Yprin Yprikushma's orders, this being, known as the Primordial, was placed in a stasis capsule and transported to Charum Hakkor for study.[9] Human researchers found a way to communicate with the entity, asking in vain for answers to various scientific or moral questions, receiving no useful responses.[16] Instead, the being revealed disconcerting truths about humanity's origins; this was believed by some to have caused the demoralization of human culture and thus contributed to their defeat against the Forerunners.[9] They also inquired the Primordial about the Flood; the answers they received were so traumatizing that many committed suicide.[16]
After a certain point, the Flood's rampage throughout human territory stopped. The Flood no longer infected humans and instead began to rapidly die out, with both humans and Forerunners sterilizing the remaining infestations.[17] Based on this pattern, the Forerunners concluded that humanity had discovered a cure for the Flood: according to Forerunner records, the humans sacrificed a third of their total population, implanting them with destructive, artificially programmed genes used to target the Flood on a genetic level. In reality, however, the Flood had receded by its own volition after the sacrifice; no truly functioning cure was ever created or used by humanity,[18] though both Forerunners and humans themselves remained under such illusion.[19]
Stretched thin due to fighting two wars at once, the humans were finally driven to their capital of Charum Hakkor. After holding off for fifty-three years they were defeated at the hands of the Forerunners, led by the Didact.[20] Before the fall of Charum Hakkor some humans suggested they should draw out the Flood and use it against the Forerunners. However, this strategy was denied, as the human leadership chose to face defeat rather than allow the Flood to spread.[21]