Artifact

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An Artifact is any manufactured object.

  • The term artifact is commonly used to refer to any object, item, or group of related items produced by the Ancients.
  • It may be a technological device or tool. It may just as easily be a cultural object, a luxury or gimmick, with no direct link to a sophontic technology.
  • Imperial law requires all artifacts found in Imperial Space to be turned over to the Third Imperium.

Please refer to the following AAB Library Data articles for related information:
Xenoarchaeology:

Description (Specifications)

An artifact is anything created by sophonts which gives information about the culture of its creator and users. It is typically something made or given shape by a sophont, such as a tool or a work of art, especially an object of xenoarchaeological interest.

Precursor Artifacts

The term artifact is also commonly used to refer to any object, item, or group of related items produced by precursor civilizations such as the Ancients. They are sometimes called necro-markers.

Artifacts vs. Archaeologicals

The two terms have considerable overlap:

  1. TL-0 Protosophonts lack the ability to make tools using tools. They may leave behind found tools, biofacts, or ecofacts. These are also known as Proto-Tech.
  2. Archaeologicals are generally considered to be lower technology objects, generally in the TL:1-9 range. They are also known as Ur-Tech.
  3. Artifacts are generally considered to be high technology objects, generally in the TL:10-18 range or higher. They are also known as Stell-Tech.
  4. Ultra Period artifacts are considered to be very advanced objects, in the TL:19-27 range. They are also known as Ultra-Tech.
  5. Transcendent artifacts are considered to be astrodeific objects, in the TL:28-30 range. They are also known as Dei-Tech.
  6. Ascendant artifacts are considered to be omnipotential objects, in the TL:31-33 range. They are also known as Omni-Tech.

History & Background (Dossier)

An artifact can be any tangible object created by a sophont species. Many but not all artifacts are devices, which is to say technological tools. Some artifacts are not tools and possess cultural meaning that may be incomprehensible to sophonts from a different culture.

Ancients Artifacts

For example, many of the artifacts recovered from the precursor culture of the Ancients still remain mysteries to the TL-15 societies of Charted Space. Some of these artifacts were clearly created with technology far more advanced than that currently in use throughout the starways. Some of these artifacts have been determined to be technological devices or tools while others may have been luxuries, gimmicks, or items of undetermined cultural value.

No one currently knows... or is telling. Sometimes the best clues come from local folklore and Old Spacer's Tales.

Known Artifacts In Charted Space

This is a listing of the known artifacts in Charted Space by location:

  1. Memory Alpha on Shalam: The AAB Branch on Shalam is a repository and research laboratory dedicated to the study of the ancient Memory Alpha artifact.
  2. Oynssork
  3. Relativity Rifle
  4. Shimmersuit

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.
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