New Beginnings Era

In the New Beginnings era, following the activation of the Halo Array, the extant sapient species of the galaxy begin their slow crawl toward civilization.

## Timeline

### 69th Millennium BC

**C. 68,000 BC**

Protheans achieve spaceflight and discover mass effect technology from the ruins of the extinct Inusannon. They go on to establish a galaxy-wide civilization linked by the mass relay network with the Citadel as their capital.

At some point, the Protheans encounter a race of Cybertronian-based lifeforms that endanger their existence. To combat this threat, the Protheans begin to assimilate many other spacefaring races into their empire. The Prothean Empire is able to fend off the machines in a conflict known as the "Metacon War".

The Protheans extensively observed primitive species. They cultivated species they deemed to have potential and made numerous outposts placed on or near the primitives' homeworlds, with Prothean interference and activities kept beyond their subjects' comprehension.

To compete against the Forerunners, the Protheans discovered the rachni and bred them as weapons of war, selecting for the most cunning and warlike queens and unleashing rachni swarms on their enemies. Eventually, the rachni became too difficult to control and turned on their Prothean masters. The Protheans attempted to eradicate the rachni, and destroyed as many as 200 worlds before they were satisfied the extinction of the rachni, but enough survived on Suen to replenish their population.

### 51st Millennium BC

**C. 50,000 BC**

Humans achieve behavioral modernity

Birth of Vandal Savage

### 49th Millennium BC

**C. 48,000 BC**

The Prothean Empire collapses with the arrival of the Reapers through the Citadel. The obliteration of the Prothean leadership left them as easy prey for the Reapers with little problem from the remnants of their military. The Reapers decide to focus their extermination efforts on the Protheans, for a swift victory.

Over the next several centuries, the Reapers hunt the Protheans system by system, world by world, and city by city.

### 39th Millennium BC

**C. 38,000 BC**

Extinction of *Homo neanderthalensis*

### 24th Millennium BC

**C. 2300 BC**

Domestication of dogs

### 14th Millennium BC

**C. 13,000 BC**

On Palaven, the turians begin to develop civilization around this time, most likely the first in the current “cycle”.

### 10th Millennium BC

**C. 10,000 BC**

Bashenga unifies the tribes of Wakanda (with the exception of the Jabari)

### 9th Millennium BC

**C. 9000 BC**

Domestication of sheep

### 8th Millennium BC

**C. 8000 BC**

Laying of Mothra's egg

**7353 BC**

Birth of Buri, first King of Asgard

### 6th Millennium BC

**C. 5700 BC**

Agamotto forms the Masters of the Mystic Arts

**5244 BC**

Birth of Bor Burison

### 4th Millennium BC

**C. 4000 BC**

Human civilization begins to develop, in Mesopotamia/the Fertile Crescent.

Domestication of horses

**C. 3500 BC**

Human invention of the wheel.

**C. 3300 BC**

Establishment of the Indus River Valley civilization and beginning of the Bronze Age

**C. 3200 BC**

Invention of writing; beginning of human history

**3480 BC**

Birth of Odin Borson

**C. 3100 BC**

Establishment of the Ancient Egyptian civilization

**C. 3000 BC**

Construction of Stonehenge

Birth of En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse

### 3rd Millennium BC

**2996 BC**

Yautja contact numerous early human civilizations on Earth. Teaching humans to build pyramids, the hunters are worshipped as gods.

**2988 BC**

Convergence of Nine Realms

Battle of Svartalfheim

**C. 2700 BC**

Birth of Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh

**C. 2560 BC**

Completion of the Great Pyramid of Giza

**C. 2500 BC**

Extinction of the mammoth (Wrangel island)

**C. 2200 BC**

Completion of Stonehenge

**C. 2070 BC**

Establishment of the Ancient Chinese civilization

### 2nd Millennium BC

**C. 2000 BC**

Establishment of the Maya civilization

**C. 1800 BC**

Writing of the Epic of Gilgamesh

**C. 1750 BC**

Earliest possible date of the Vedas (Samhitas)

**C. 1500 BC**

Birth of Zoroaster/Zarathustra

**C. 1450 BC**

Writing of the Book of Genesis

**C. 1391**

Birth of Moses

**1308 BC**

Birth of Pharaoh Atem

**C. 1303 BC**

Birth of Pharaoh Ramesses II

**1292 BC**

Destruction of Zorc Necrophades

**C. 1200 BC**

Beginning of the Iron Age

### 1st Millennium BC

#### 9th Century BC

**938 BC**

San’Shyuum encounter the Sangheili, sparking the War of Beginnings.

#### 8th Century BC

**852 BC**

End of the War of Beginnings, and the signing of the Writ of Union. The formation of the Covenant occurs, its founding members being San’Shyuum, Sangheili, and Huragok.

**C. 800 BC**

Emergence of the Greek city-states (Classic era)

#### 7th Century BC

**784 BC**

The Lekgolo join the Covenant, after encountering each other on the moons of Te. Despite initial difficulties in communication, the compliant Lekgolo were swiftly integrated.

**753 BC**

Establishment of the Ancient Roman civilization

#### 6th Century BC

**679 BC**

Birth of Hela

**659 BC**

Subjugation of the Nine Realms

**648 BC**

High Charity is completed, becoming the mobile capital of the Covenant.

Alleged destruction of Janjur Qom.

**639 BC**

End of Asgardian conquest and expansionism.

**C. 600 BC**

Birth of Cyrus the Great

#### 5th Century BC

**580 BC**

The Citadel is discovered by the asari. Exploring the mass relay network, they are perplexed by the mysterious structure.

**563 BC**

Birth of Siddhartha Gautama/Buddha

**551 BC**

Birth of Kong Fuzi/Confucius

**550 BC**

Establishment of the Persian Empire

**520 BC**

The Citadel is discovered by the salarians, who open diplomatic relations with the asari.

**C. 500 BC**

The asari and salarians together inhabit the Citadel, and form the Citadel Council, intending it to be the center of the galactic community. They eventually encounter the volus, batarians, elcor, hanar, and quarians.

The Unification War occurs, cementing the Turian Hierarchy as the government of the entire turian race.

#### 4th Century BC

**480 BC**

Battle of Thermopylae

**470 BC**

Birth of Socrates

**450 BC**

Publication of The Art of War

**C. 450 BC**

Compilation of the Torah

**431 BC**

Peloponnesian War begins

**427 BC**

Birth of Plato

**404 BC**

April 25 - Peloponnesian War ends

#### 3rd Century BC

**384 BC**

Birth of Aristotle

**356 BC**

July 21/22 - Birth of Aléxandros III of Macedon/Alexander the Great

**C. 304 BC**

Birth of Ashoka the Great

**C. 300 BC**

The Citadel has its first contact with the Volus, followed by the batarians, elcor, hanar, and quarians

Unification War

#### 2nd Century BC

**259 BC**

July - Birth of Qin Shi Huang

#### 1st Century BC

**100 BC**

July 12/13 - Birth of Julius Caesar

**69 BC**

Birth of Cleopatra VII Philopator

**63 BC**

September 23 - Birth of Augustus

**27 BC**

Establishment of the Roman Empire

**C. 4 BC**

Birth of Jesus of Nazareth