Monolith artifact

"My God, it's full of stars!"

- Dave Bowman

The Monolith is a fictional extraterrestrial device and the key plot device featured in the "Space Odyssey" series of novels and films. The concept of the Monolith was created by author Arthur C. Clarke and expanded upon by director Stanley Kubrick in the 1968 sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The nature and function of the Monoliths are as mysterious as their origins and each Monolith possesses its own unique properties. The three most well-known Monoliths are the ones found on Earth, the moon and in the orbit of Jupiter, respectively classified as TMA-0, 1 and 2. TMA is short for Tycho Magnetic Anomaly and originates from the first Monolith discovered by man, which was located buried beneath the Tycho Crater on the moon in the year 2000. Although only one Monolith was found at Tycho, all others have been erroneously classified as TMA for the sake of convention. It is also important to note that only TMA-0 and TMA-1 produced an electromagnetic pulse.

The Monoliths were created by the "first race" of intelligent life in the universe - creatures that had long ago shed their corporeal form, transcending biological restrictions in favor of living as immortal, disembodied beings of energy.

TMA-0
This Monolith appeared in the Olduvai Gorge in the continent of Africa more than four-million years ago during the Pleistocene era. A horizontal slab of transparanet, crystalline rock, it stood approximately fifteen-feet tall and resonated with a strong, resounding magnetic pulse. The Monolith attracted the attention of a tribe of ape men and their exposure to the Monolith prompted an evolutionary spark in the species. The first ape man to actually make physical contact with the Monolith was the tribal leader, Moon-Watcher. Afterward, Moon-Watcher grew beyond his species' strict vegetarianism and grew to appreciate the value of hunting live prey. He learned how to use tools to aid his fellow ape in protecting themselves and for hunting. Those of Moon-Watcher's tribe eventually evolved into modern man.

The Olduvia Gorge Monolith went undiscovered for millions of years. It was finally found in the year 2513 and retroactively named TMA-0 to coincide with the naming conventions of the other Monoliths.