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|<small>[[Age of Terra]] - [[Dark Age of Technology]] - [[Age of Strife]] - [[Age of the Imperium]]</small>
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The '''Dark Age of Technology''' was the zenith of mankind's scientific knowledge and technological power. Even millennia later mankind has not been able to equal or regain their former height of achievement. This age was long before the [[Age of the Imperium]] and knowledge of this time period is now incredibly sparse, and many "facts" about it are mere legend.
Although a "golden age" in terms of scientific achievement, because of the catastrophic effects of the following [[Age of Strife]], mankind has since come to regard scientific knowledge as abhorrent and dangerous. The Age of Technology is thus considered "dark" in the Imperium's current age. It is also considered a dark age because mankind in the Age of Technology had come to worship science as godGod.
==The Stellar Exodus==
==The Warp Drive==
The Age of Technology brought the development of the [[Warp drive|warp Warp drive]] and the '''Geller Field''', allowing spacecraft to make short warp Warp-jumps, traveling vast distances in a relatively short amount of time. One can compare this to the way the [[Tau]] ships currently travel.
The warp Warp drive accelerated the colonization of the [[Galaxy|Milky Way Galaxy]], and allowed trade and communications between the colonies and Terra.
==Navigators==
The second vital development was that of the [[Navigator]] gene and the creation of the mutant Navigators, humans who could see the currents of the warp Warp and navigate a course through them. This allowed spacecraft to make longer and more accurate warp Warp-jumps than previously possible.
==The STC==
Of major importance was the invention of the [[STC|Standard Template Construct]] system. These evolved computers allowed colonies to maintain their technological level. The STCs contained all human technological knowledge and provided the instructions to build anything the colonists might need. As most colonists were simple and required only basic equipment, the more advanced technology was rarely utilized.
The resulting exploration brought mankind new knowledge, wealth and arrogance. Science is said to have become God. Humanity had encountered several alien races. With their discovery began the first human-alien wars. With mankind at the height of its power the threat of aliens was trivial and eventually non-aggression nonaggression pacts were signed with many of the alien races.
At this time the human colonies were federated to Terra - allowing the human race to remain unified.
==The End of the Golden Age==
This Golden Age golden age would not last. Warp travel became increasingly difficult due to the great [[Warp Stormstorm]]s that would herald the violent birth of [[Slaanesh]] and the [[Fall of the Eldar]]. Trade between the Human human colonies collapsed. With this relative isolation , [[Abhuman]]s (i.e. new human subspecies adapted to their environments) like the [[Ogryn]]s, [[Ratling]]s, and [[Squat]]s developed on several planets.
Certain planets, like [[Terra]] the ancient homeworld of Mankind mankind - relying on the trade with the rest of humanity - were suddenly unable to feed their enormous populations. Hunger and starvation followed. The Human psykers were relatively weak and unexperiencedinexperienced, and at constant risk of possession by [[daemon]]s and other warp Warp entities. The sudden impossibility of warp Warp travel meant that unified humanity broke apart into completely isolated systems and worlds. Daemonic possession, widespread insanity , and isolation led to inter-human conflict, anarchy , and regression to barbarity. The following time period is aptly named the [[Age of Strife]].
==Related Articles==
==Sources==
*''[[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader]]''*[[Space Hulk (Game)|''Space Hulk'']], 1st edition, background book*[[WD178|''White Dwarf '' #178 (UKU.K.)]] article ''The Titan Legions'' by Rick Priestley.*[[Galaxy In Flames (Novel)|''Galaxy In Flames'']] , page 410, by [[Ben Counter]]
