View source for Timeline of the Ancients

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[[Category:Ancients]][[Image:40604.jpg|thumb|170px|left|Timeline of the Ancients]]
==Summary==

To present the timeline of the Ancients is to present a timeline for a major portion of the <em>Stargate</em> saga. The Ancients are the founders of the Stargate network and along with their brethren the Ori are the creators of humanity in at least three galaxies. To tell their story, one must also include the story of those who were created by them and who inherited their legacy long after they moved on.

==Ancients: On the Path to Enlightenment==

The advanced human race known as the Ancients have a very long history, having lived over a period of at least 50 million years. As the Ancients evolved both mentally and physically, they learned that their next stage of evolution was the shedding of the physical body to live as a form of intelligent energy on a higher plane of existence. This process, known as ascension, requires that the individual be prepared to handle the responsibility of increased knowledge and power as an enlightened being. Because ascension requires this added maturity, one should seek to better himself while still in human form. With this in mind, the philosophy of the Path to Enlightenment was established, giving the individual guidance as he made his way toward a state of higher being. Those with less spiritual beliefs saw ascension simply as a natural physical evolution of their species, but still might have applied the term "Path to Enlightenment" to the process because ascension does expose one to the knowledge of the universe and thus enlightenment.

"Ascension doesn't make you all knowing or all powerful. It is just the beginning of the journey," Daniel Jackson explained to his friends. Even so, the reality of it is that once ascended, a being does become more knowledgeable and powerful, which can be a dangerous thing if the individual is not yet prepared to handle such knowledge and power responsibly and benevolently. Two major groups of Ascended Beings sprang up as the result of two diametrically opposed philosophies as to how to handle the power of being ascended and using that power against others, including the "lowers" ("humans and such") of the corporeal plane of existence. These two groups actually came from a single human society who existed a very long time ago in a distant galaxy: the Altera, who later became known as the Ancients and then as The Others, and the Ori.

The Altera leaned toward the scientific study of their world, while the Ori had a more spiritual perspective, which ultimately translated into the ascended Ori's establishing a religion with themselves as the gods so that they could obtain more power by being worshiped by humans. This ability to draw power from the humans' worship has never been explained, but apparently, all planes of existence are bound to each other in some way as part of a vast, infinite universe. The ascended Ancients saw the Ori's corruption and decided to have no interaction with humans whatsoever so as to avoid becoming corrupt themselves. Unfortunately, the Ori's corruption was so complete that they deemed their brethren, the Ancients, as "evil spirits" who were "selfish in their powerful advantage" and felt that the only way to keep their believers on the "true path" was to destroy anyone who tried to lead them "astray". Over fifty million years after the Altera left their home galaxy, the differences between the two original groups of humans were exacerbated to affect ascended and corporeal beings alike, making it a war of cosmic significance.

Not all Ancients ascended at once; there were different periods of time in which the advanced humans had evolved to the point where it was achievable. Ancients still had children and lived lives as human beings, some of them already quite powerful in their own right (with advanced brain function, telekinesis, enhanced hearing, enhanced strength, the ability to heal through touch, the ability to read another's mind, and precognition), before ascending. This means that generations upon generations of Ancients achieved ascension throughout the ages. Advanced humans in the Pegasus Galaxy were still ascending when the Atlantis Expedition encountered them about two years after Atlantis was discovered. It isn't known how close the Alterans or Ori were to achieving ascension at the time of the rift over 50 million years ago; therefore, it is unclear if any of the Altera and Ori of that time actually ascended, including Amelius, the Alteran who invented the Stargate.

There were some major events, however, that precipitated early ascension (i.e., before one's physical death), and thus are considered mass ascension episodes on the timeline. Two such instances were when the plague swept through the Milky Way Galaxy five to ten millions years ago, and the other, when the Ancients abandoned Atlantis and returned to Earth 10,000 years ago. It appeared to be a generally-accepted rule that once one achieved ascension that there was no looking back (releasing of one's burden) and that one would not return to human form again, although that ability did exist. Some ascended beings have demonstrated the ability to transform back and forth between human and ascended forms multiple times at will (such as Shifu in the Milky Way and Chaya in Pegasus). These mass ascensions left human form Ancients behind to carry on, and sometimes these groups behaved expressly different than their predecessors, taking different paths and embracing different philosophies. 

Despite these differences, it appeared that the majority of the human Ancients held scientific discoveries in high esteem, so when it came time to leave their mortal existence behind, they dropped almost everything pretty much where it was for someone else to pick up and improve upon. Sir Isaac Newton said it best when he stated, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Even though each generation, or evolution, of humanity had to "reinvent the wheel", after man achieved travel to other planets, there was plenty of technology and knowledge left behind as a legacy, or inheritance, upon which he could build for further advancements. The Ancients put in place some ways to prevent the premature use of some of their most dangerous technologies, but on the other hand, they didn't interfere when they saw their legacies being abused, such as when the Goa'uld used their Stargate network to enslave others, which included their second generation of humans. This watching, but not interfering, was the result of their belief that man (or sentient beings) had the right to exercise his own free will ... no matter what the cost. 

==Historical Periods and Notes==
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{| style="border:1px solid #345f89;" rules="all" cellpadding="10"
|+ '''MAJOR HISTORICAL PERIODS OF THE ANCIENTS'''
|- 
|valign="top"|'''Date Range'''
|valign="top"|'''Period'''
|valign="top"|'''Human'''
|valign="top"|'''Ascended'''
|valign="top"|'''Galaxy'''
|valign="top"|'''Notes'''
|- 
|valign="top"|[[#Over 50 Million Years Ago|Over 50 million years ago]]
|valign="top" style="background-color:#A46969;"|'''Alteran'''
|valign="top"|Yes
|valign="top"|Uncertain
|valign="top"|Original home galaxy, often referred to as simply the Ori galaxy because only the Ori remained there.
|valign="top"|The Altera and their brethren the Ori were humans on the evolutionary path toward ascension, but it is unknown if there were ascended beings who existed before or during this period, and if they existed, whether or not the humans were aware of them. The Ori greatly outnumbered the Altera and were preparing to wipe them out because of their conflicting philosophical views. By the end of this period, the only Ancients that existed were the Altera, the mountaintop villagers who chose to leave their home aboard a single spaceship rather than engage in a war. The Ori were left behind to continue on their own path.
|- 
|valign="top"|[[#5 to 10 Million Years Ago|5 to 10 million years ago]] to [[#50 Million Years Ago|50 million years ago]]
|valign="top" style="background-color:#6DA86D"|'''Ancient'''
|valign="top"|Yes
|valign="top"|Possible
|valign="top"|Primarily in the Milky Way, their new home that they named "Avalon". The Altera became known as the Ancients.
|valign="top"|This period includes the establishment of the Stargate network in the Milky Way, the exploration of their new home galaxy and others through the launch of their exploration fleet of Stargate-seeding starships and follow-up exploration vessel ''Destiny'' (see ''Stargate Universe''), the formation of alliances, the advancement in weapons and other technology, the development of the means to collect and store their accumulated knowledge, and the continued research into the acceleration of evolution through genetic alteration to achieve ascension. Some of the Ancients had evolved to the point that they could ascend on their own. The defining moment that ends this period is the occurrence of the plague that swept throughout the galaxy that forced the Ancients to ascend, to leave the galaxy, or to die out. Because of the plague and the heightened research into ascension, the Ancients never boarded ''Destiny'', but instead left the exploration fleet to continue on its automated course.
|- 
|valign="top"|[[#10 Thousand Years Ago|10,000 years ago]] to [[#5 to 10 Million Years Ago|5 to 10 million years ago]]
|valign="top" style="background-color:#8D7CA9;"|'''Lantian'''
|valign="top"|Yes
|valign="top"|Yes
|valign="top"|Pegasus. The Ancients were called the Ancestors by the humans of the Pegasus galaxy.
|valign="top"|This period opens with the plague sweeping throughout the Milky Way that forced the Ancients to leave the galaxy in one form or another&mdash;whether it be by ascending, by leaving the galaxy as humans (in spaceships, for example), or by dying out. The Ancients that ascended joined together in a collective called The Others. The Ori, although not hit by a plague, also ascended and established themselves as the gods of the religion "Origin". This period also includes the creation of the second generation (evolution) of humanity in the three galaxies: the original Altera/Ori home galaxy, the Milky Way, and Pegasus. As they did in the Milky Way, the Ancients in Pegasus built a Stargate network and settled on several planets. By the end of this period, more Ancients had ascended and apparently joined their own ancestors who were with The Others; however, no more ascended beings joined the Ori because the Ori did not wish to share their power and prevented their humanity from evolving to the point where they could ascend on their own or through the use of advanced technology. This period ends when the last of the Lantian survivors of the Wraith-Ancient War abandoned Atlantis and used the Stargate to return to Earth, where they blended into Earth's societies, left the planet through the Stargate, or ascended.
|- 
|valign="top"|[[#bottom|Present]] to [[#10 Thousand Years Ago|10,000 years ago]]
|valign="top" style="background-color:#828FA2;"|'''Legacy'''
|valign="top"|Possible
|valign="top"|Yes
|valign="top"|All except original home galaxy.
|valign="top"|This is when the majority of Ancients are Ascended Beings, and other races use and abuse their legacy. At the beginning of this period, the Lantian Ancients had just returned to Earth after abandoning Pegasus to the Wraith and chose to blend in with Earth's societies, to leave Earth through the Stargate, or to ascend. Proof of the Ancients' blending into the human population of the Milky Way is the natural occurrence of the ATA gene (Ancient Technology Activation gene) that allows the possessor to activate and interface with genetically-keyed Ancient technology, as well as the cultural influences of the world's ancient civilizations. Some Ancients from earlier in this period survived into the modern era in human form via stasis, time travel, or some other form of technological means, while a few Ascended Ancients chose to retake human form. This period includes the reopening of the Stargate in modern times and a near-repeat of history as the humans of Earth assimilate the Ancients' legacy, which not only includes knowledge and technology, but also old rivalries that the Ancients had failed to resolve. It also includes the discovery of ''Destiny'', which opened up the universe to exploration (albeit limited) and to the exposure to new life forms untouched by Ancient hands.
|}
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In the shows and movies, the terms "Alteran" and "Ancient" have been used interchangeably, as have the terms "Ancient" and "Lantian" (or "Atlantian"). Sometimes, the terms have been combined with "Ascended" to help the reader narrow down the period or place from which an individual originated (such as the "Ascended Atlantian Ancient Morgan Le Fay"). The divisions presented in the above chart are merely meant to clarify the timeline herein. Basically said, the Ancient family tree is defined by the descendants of the Altera who left their home galaxy millions upon millions of years ago, and this family tree has branched off in several directions since that time. Although the term "Ancients" has been used (in the shows) to describe advanced humans and ascended alike, it should be noted that just as there have been different groups of man inhabiting a single planet, so there have been many groups of "Ancients" inhabiting the universe.  

As a group of ascended beings, the Ancients have been called "The Others", but it should be noted that The Others include more than just ascended Ancients; there were also individuals who were helped to ascend by an ascended and some who might have ascended with the use of Ancient technology that was left behind. In actuality, The Others is a group or collective of ascended beings who have agreed to a certain set of rules regarding their role as ascended beings and how they do or do not interact with the lower planes of existence (especially the corporeal plane). Based on that definition, it is also possible that The Others include ascended beings who preceded the Altera/Ancients or who evolved concurrently in another part of the universe, but this has yet to be addressed. There do exist other energy lifeforms that could be considered ascended beings, since it is known that there are many levels or planes of existence associated with ascension. One such lifeform was captured by the Ancients in Atlantis and studied in the Lantians' efforts to achieve ascension through genetic manipulation. Conversely, not all Ancients were members of The Others; some were exiled for breaking the rules.

To get the most from this detailed timeline, it is recommended that the reader be familiar with the main characters of the SG-1 team and of the Atlantis Expedition; with other major races of the ''Stargate'' universe, specifically, the Asgard, Nox, Furlings, Goa'uld, Jaffa, Asurans (and by association, the Replicators), and the Wraith; and with the significance of the Abydonians and Tok'ra. Tied very closely to the Ancient arc is SG-1 character Dr. Daniel Jackson, who opened the Stargate on Earth, was once ascended himself, discovered Atlantis, and had direct contact&mdash;and conflict&mdash;with Ascended Ancients, Ascended Goa'uld, and Ascended Ori. Ascended Ancients of note are Oma Desala, Orlin, Merlin, and Morgan Le Fay. In opposition to the Ascended Ancients are the ascendeds Anubis of the Goa'uld and Adria of the Ori.

Not all of the events in the timeline can be tied down to an exact date, so estimates or approximations were made and noted. For example, the development of the Goa'uld to the point that they were taking Unas as hosts and traveling through the Stargate and in spaceships has not been clearly defined in the shows, but was considered important enough to be included herein. By default, the majority of the events are from the Milky Way Galaxy's frame of reference, so if an event happened in Pegasus or the Ori home galaxy, it is identified as such.

As the name of this timeline implies, the focus of this article is on the path the Ancients took from their home galaxy to leaving behind their legacy as they moved on to another plane of existence. It also is biased toward the perspective of the humans of Earth and of Stargate Command in particular. Not all of the episodes of ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''Stargate Atlantis'' are mentioned. For an overview of each season and the movies, the following articles are suggested as great kicking-off points:

* [[Episode Guides]] &mdash; an index to ''Stargate SG-1'', ''Stargate Atlantis'', ''Stargate Universe'', and the ''Stargate'' movies. Each episode guide provides a summary; a list of characters; a list of articles about groups, locations, technology, and races specific to that episode; and links to further reading. 
* [[Transcripts]] &mdash; an index to transcripts for the ''Stargate'' movies and shows.
{|
|valign="top" style="background-color:#A46969;"|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|valign="top"|
<h2 style="background-color:#A46969;">Over 50 Million Years Ago</h2>
This time estimate is based on the life of the crystal in the DHD found in Antarctica, where it is thought that the original Stargate was placed in the Milky Way. (6.04 "Frozen")
{|
|valign="top"|[[Image:aot-the-ark.jpg|none|178px|]][[Image:aot-plans-stargate.jpg|none|178px|]][[Image:aot01.jpg|none|178px|]]
|valign="top"|'''The Ancients were originally known as the Altera who lived in one society with those known as the Ori in a distant galaxy:'''
* They were humans on the evolutionary path toward ascension, the shedding of the physical body to live as a form of intelligent energy on a higher plane of existence. (9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1")
* The Ori's intentions were at first good, but sometime later they developed an extreme view based on a philosophy they called "Origin", which in the oldest known form of their language means "truth", which stymied technological and scientific advancement. (9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1", 10.11 "The Quest Part 2", ''Stargate: The Ark of Truth'')
* The Altera isolated themselves in the mountains because their definition of "truth", which was the result of "the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, through argument and debate," conflicted with the Ori's definition of "truth" that was defined by their religion. The foundations of this religion are not known, but it is possible that ''The Book of Origin'' was originated at this time to "teach meditation on one's worth and significance, the path of righteousness towards a state of higher being." This "path" was also known as the Path to Enlightenment, which is what the Ancients called ascension. (Later, the Ascended Ancient Oma Desala taught a similar philosophy toward ascension by placing on the walls of her temple on the planet Kheb "an instruction book on how to reach this ethereal plane of existence, some kind of other world.") (3.20 "Maternal Instinct", 9.03 "Origin Part 3", 9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1", ''Stargate: The Ark of Truth'')
* The Altera lived as simple villagers on the surface of their mountaintop settlement, but underground, they pursued their scientific studies and built a starship. (''Stargate: The Ark of Truth'')
* As the gap widened between the views of the Altera and the Ori, the Ori began building up an army to strike down the Altera. An Alteran scientist named Amelius proposed the use of a device called the "Ark of Truth" (which he might have also invented) that could also strike down the Ori, but without bloodshed. Instead, this device would brainwash the Ori into seeing the "truth" (i.e., anything that the programmer placed into it), but the Alteran leadership voted against using it because it was "forced indoctrination" and went against their belief in the right for one to exercise his own free will. (''Stargate: The Ark of Truth'')
* The Altera left their galaxy in their starship instead of engaging in a war with the Ori. They left behind several pieces of their technology, including a long range communications device and the Ark. Amelius most likely left the Ark behind hoping that the Ori would discover and use it, and thus know the "truth", but the other Alterans hoped that it would be destroyed when they burst through the mountaintop in their starship. (9.02 "Avalon Part 2", 9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1", ''Stargate: The Ark of Truth'')
* On the eve of the Alterans' leaving, Amelius was inspired to create the Stargate. (''Stargate: The Ark of Truth'')
|}
|-
|valign="top" style="background-color:#6DA86D;"|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|valign="top"|
<h2 style="background-color:#6DA86D;">50 Million Years Ago</h2>
{|
|valign="top"|[[Image:pool-gate.jpg|none|178px|]]
|valign="top"|'''The Altera settle in the Milky Way Galaxy and become known as the Ancients:'''
* The Altera traveled for thousands of years until they reached a "belt of stars" and made a new home in the Milky Way Galaxy, which they called "Avalon", and built the network of Stargates, which they called "Astria Porta". (10.02 "Avalon Part 2")
* The first landing place for the Alteran starship in the Milky Way was on the planet Dakara. (''Stargate: The Ark of Truth'')
* Other early settlements of the Ancients in the Milky Way included Earth, which the Ancients called "Terra" and which might be the site of the galaxy's first Stargate, and Praclarush Taonas. (6.04 "Frozen", 7.22 "Lost City Part 2", 10.03 "The Pegasus Project")
|}
<h2 style="background-color:#6DA86D;">30 Million Years Ago</h2>
This time estimate is based on the map of Earth brought up by Jack O'Neill when he had the second download of the Ancient Repository of Knowledge. The map he showed his teammates from the control chair of the Praclarush Taonas Outpost did not account for 30 million years of continental drift. He identified the location of Atlantis, the Lost City of the Ancients, as being on what became Antarctica. Since O'Neill was using the knowledge from the Ancient Repository of Knowledge from P3X-439, it can be assumed that the knowledge within that Repository was at least 30 million years old (and most likely not updated since that time). (7.22 "Lost City Part 2")
{|
|valign="top"|[[Image:Praclarush-Taonas-02.jpg|none|178px|]]
|valign="top"|'''The Ancients continue to populate and explore the Milky Way:'''
* By this time, Atlantian city-ships (which might have also been called "Lantian cities") existed on Earth in the area now known as Antarctica and possibly on Praclarush Taonas. An Outpost existed on Praclarush Taonas that was identical to the Outpost found in Antarctica, which was associated with the city-ship Atlantis. Each Outpost had a ring transporter platform and was powered by a device the Ancients called a "Potentia", which is called a "Zero Point Module" (ZPM) by modern-day humans. (7.22 "Lost City Part 2", 10.03 "The Pegasus Project"; ''Stargate Atlantis'': 1.01 "Rising Part 1", 1.16 "The Brotherhood")
* Other early settlements were Taoth Vaclarush, Valos Cor, and Verus Gen Bree. (10.02 "Morpheus", 10.03 "The Pegasus Project")
* The Ancients had built a large settlement on P3X-439 and placed a Repository of Knowledge within a monument's walls. The Repositories are meant to contain ''all'' of the current knowledge of the Ancients who populated the database at the time. (7.21 "Lost City Part 1", 10.11 "The Quest Part 2")
|}
|-
|valign="top" style="background-color:#8D7CA9;"|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|valign="top"|
{{:Timeline of the Ancients: Lantian Period: 10 Thousand to 5 to 10 Million Years Ago}}
|-
|valign="top" style="background-color:#345f89;"|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|valign="top"|
{{:Timeline of the Ancients: Legacy Period: 2 to 10 Thousand Years Ago}}
{{:Timeline of the Ancients: Legacy Period: A.D. 1 to A.D. 1995}}
{{:Timeline of the Ancients: Legacy Period: A.D. 1996 to A.D. 2002}}
{{:Timeline of the Ancients: Legacy Period: A.D. 2002 to A.D. 2005}}
{{:Timeline of the Ancients: Legacy Period: A.D. 2005 to A.D. 2007}}
{{:Timeline of the Ancients: Legacy Period: A.D. 2007 to Present}}
|}
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==Articles on the Ancients==
{{AncientArticles}}

==Episodes and Related Articles==

===Alteran and Ancient Periods===

====Episodes====
'''Stargate SG-1:'''
* [[3.20 "Maternal Instinct" Episode Guide|3.20 "Maternal Instinct"]]
* [[6.04 "Frozen" Episode Guide|6.04 "Frozen"]]
* [[7.21 "Lost City Part 1" Episode Guide|7.21 "Lost City Part 1"]]
* [[7.22 "Lost City Part 2" Episode Guide|7.22 "Lost City Part 2"]]
* [[9.02 "Avalon Part 2" Episode Guide|9.02 "Avalon Part 2"]]
* [[9.03 "Origin Part 3" Episode Guide|9.03 "Origin Part 3"]]
* [[9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1" Episode Guide|9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1"]]
* [[10.02 "Morpheus" Episode Guide|10.02 "Morpheus"]]
* [[10.03 "The Pegasus Project" Episode Guide|10.03 "The Pegasus Project"]]
* [[10.11 "The Quest Part 2" Episode Guide|10.11 "The Quest Part 2"]]
* [[Stargate: The Ark of Truth]]

'''Stargate Atlantis:'''
* [[SGA 1.01 "Rising Part 1" Episode Guide|1.01 "Rising Part 1"]]
* [[SGA 1.16 "The Brotherhood" Episode Guide|1.16 "The Brotherhood"]]

'''Stargate Universe:'''
* [[Stargate Universe]]

====Related Characters====

* [[Amelius]]
* [[Oma Desala]]

====Related Articles====

* [[Antarctica]]
* [[Ark of Truth]]
* [[Atlantis]]
* [[Avalon]]
* [[Dakara]]
* [[Ori]]
* [[Praclarush Taonas]]
* [[P3X-439]]
* [[Repository of Knowledge]]
* [[Ring Transporter]]
* [[Stargate]]
* [[Castiana / Taoth Vaclarush|Taoth Vaclarush]]
* [[Sahal / Valos Cor|Valos Cor]]
* [[Vagonbrei|Verus Gen Bree]]
* [[Zero Point Module (ZPM)]]

===Lantian Period===

* [[Timeline of the Ancients: Lantian Period: 10 Thousand to 5 to 10 Million Years Ago]]

===Legacy Period===

* [[Timeline of the Ancients: Legacy Period: 2 to 10 Thousand Years Ago]]
* [[Timeline of the Ancients: Legacy Period: A.D. 1 to A.D. 1995]]
* [[Timeline of the Ancients: Legacy Period: A.D. 1996 to A.D. 2002]]
* [[Timeline of the Ancients: Legacy Period: A.D. 2002 to A.D. 2005]]
* [[Timeline of the Ancients: Legacy Period: A.D. 2005 to A.D. 2007]]
* [[Timeline of the Ancients: Legacy Period: A.D. 2007 to Present]]

----
--[[User:DeeKayP|DeeKayP]] 12:15, 23 April 2008 (PDT)
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