Marontik

Marontik was a community established by Earth's human civilization thousands of years after the human-Forerunner wars. It was the largest city on Earth in approximately 97,445 BCE, having grown significantly during the preceding two centuries. Located deep inland at the confluence of two great rivers, it was surrounded by expansive grasslands.

Marontik spread over dozens of square kilometers, and mostly consisted of wooden shacks and mud huts, some three or four stories tall. They were arranged on either side of alleys branching into other alleys, winding in no particular direction. Fights often took place on these alleys between the city's residents. One major area of Marontik was its Old City, the western part of which was home to a temple dedicated to worship of the Librarian, the Forerunner Lifeshaper who watched over Earth. A structure known as the Moon Gate was located near the temple. Marontik was also home to a number of power stations constructed by the Forerunners. The local humans used various types of primitive balloons and airships for transport across the city and its immediate area.

The city had an extensive network of underground catacombs. Local guides offered tours of these catacombs for visitors. A collective of guides, led by a matriarch, employed Chakas and Riser. When the Forerunner Manipular Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting first arrived on Earth, he hired Chakas and Riser as his guides in Marontik. The trio soon departed for the nearby Djamonkin Crater in search of Precursor relics.

The prairies around Marontik housed a number of farms, among them one owned by Chakas' family. The water supply in this area was controlled by criminal water barons with underlings to enforce their will. Chakas' father was killed in a fight with thugs in the employ of a water baron. The "sacred caves" where local males would undergo a rite of passage were located a day's journey from Marontik.

Location
The Forerunner Saga gives several vague suggestions as to Marontik's location. In Halo: Primordium, the city is stated to be located deep inland and surrounded by grasslands. Mara's species is stated to have lived in the highlands north of the city. Fossils of Gigantopithecus blacki have been found across South and Southeast Asia, suggesting that Marontik may have been located in or near this region.

The "two great rivers" between which Marontik lay may have been the Tigris and the Euphrates, which would place the city in prehistoric Mesopotamia. Many creationists suspect that the biblical Garden of Eden, where God created mankind, was situated at the headwaters of these rivers. Indeed, Mesopotamia is regarded as one of the main cradles of civilization.

However, Halo: Rebirth states (from Riser's perspective) that the Portal at Voi is "not far" from Marontik's location. This wording suggests that the city was not located in Mesopotamia, as the Portal is located in modern Kenya rather than the Middle East. Indeed, humanity is theorized to have originated in prehistoric Kenya between 400,000 and 250,000 years ago. It is likely that the Portal would be built as close to major population centers as possible, lending credence to the notion that Marontik was situated in what is now East Africa.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Cryptum
 * Halo: Silentium
 * Halo: Rebirth