The Age of Terra, also sometimes called the Age of Progress in older Imperial texts, is the era of human history between the 1st and 15th Millennia (1 - 14,000 AD) when humanity advanced from a pre-industrial Iron Age culture to become a star-spanning Fusion Age civilization. The original reason for numbering the years from this point, that it was believed to be the year of the birth of Jesus Christ, has long been forgotten by humanity, which now possesses only one religion -- a deep faith in the God-Emperor of Mankind and his Imperial Cult. During the long years of the Age of Terra, humanity comes to dominate the Earth culturally and technologically. Civilisations come and go. The Solar System is ultimately colonised once humanity develops the necessary technology to leave the Earth's orbit. Mankind colonises Mars and lives on the moons of Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune. advanced fusion technology is developed which eventually allows humanity to construct interstellar starships that can colonize other star systems. At the very end of the period in the 15th Millennium and stretching into the next era in human history, the Age of Technology, Mankind begins to colonise the stars using these sub-light spacecraft. At first only nearby star systems can be reached and the human colonies established on them must survive as independent states since they are separated from Earth by up to ten generations of travel. Almost nothing of this period's events is known to current Imperial historians, though it is known that the Emperor was alive and on Earth throughout this period, disguising his true abilities and immortal nature as he moved from identity to identity, always trying to better the lot of humanity, physically, intellectually and spiritually.
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