Timeline

The history of the Matoran Universe spans a hundred thousand years, from the launch of the Great Spirit Robot until the Battle of Bara Magna.

Dates on this page are given in Years after Awakening (aA), a reckoning used by Matoran to count the years since they first became self-aware. The main story of BIONICLE took place during the year 100,000 aA.

Eras

• Old Spherus Magna (before 200 bA)
• Reign of the Element Lords & the Labors in Darkness (200 bA - 0 aA)
• The Dawn Ages (0 aA - 6,000 aA)
• The League Era (6,000 aA - 20,000 aA)
• The Prosecution and the Matoran Civil War (20,000 aA - 21,000 aA)
• The Golden Age (21,000 aA - 85,000 aA)
• The Silver Age (85,000 aA - 99,000 aA)
• The Dark Time (99,000 aA - 100,000 aA)
• Reign of Shadows and the Battle of Bara Magna (100,001 aA)
• New Spherus Magna (100,001 aA and beyond)

Notable Events

Old Spherus Magna

• Before 165,000 bA - Annona appears on Spherus Magna, and the Great Beings emerge.
• 165,000 bA - Lein, an Agori of the Jungle Tribe, passes away.
• 50,000 bA - The prototype robot is built by the Great Beings as an experiment.
• 3,000 bA - Annona re-emerges, and the Iron Tribe is decimated by the Dreaming Plague.

200 bA - Reign of the Element Lords & the Labors in Darkness

• Unknown - The Element Lords are brought into being.
• Unknown - The Great Beings experiment on the Sand Tribe, altering their anatomy through biomechanics.
• Unknown - The Core War starts.
• 200 bA - The Great Beings soon realize the war is tearing Spherus Magna apart, and begin the construction of the Great Spirit Robot.
• 200 bA - The first inhabitant of the Matoran universe, Takua, is created. More Matoran are subsequently created.
• 200 bA - Tren Krom is created.
• 200 bA - The first islands of the Matoran universe - Artakha and Karzahni - as well as their name-sake rulers are created.
• 200 bA - The Kanohi Arta, Mask of Creation, is forged, and Artakha and Karzahni are made to compete over it.
• 200 bA - The Hand of Artakha is founded.
• Unknown - The Kanohi Ignika, Mask of Life, is forged and hidden beneath Mount Valmai.
• Unknown - The first Toa - Helryx - is created. Helryx aids in the construction of Metru Nui and later joins the Hand of Artakha.
• Unknown - The First Rahi are created.
• Unknown - More Toa, such as Orde, are built. Some eventually pass on their powers to Matoran such as Jovan and Lesovikk.
• Unknown - Orde is sent to calm the Zyglak, however he fails.
• Unknown - The first Ce-Matoran are made. As a result of Orde's failure, the Great Beings elect to make them female.
• Unknown - The creation of the Toa Mata is set in motion.
• 1 bA - The first Toa Team, the Toa Cordak, is formed.
• 1 bA - The Hand of Artakha disbands and the Order of Mata Nui is formed.
• 1 bA - The Toa Mata are assembled by Artakha and trained on Daxia, then sent to Karda Nui.
• 1 bA - Tren Krom is sealed away.

0 aA - The Dawn Ages

• 0 aA - The Core War ends as Spherus Magna shatters into Bara Magna, Aqua Magna, and Bota Magna, an event later known as the Shattering. Meanwhile, the Great Spirit Mata Nui awakens and departs.
• 0 aA - The Glatorian System is established through the efforts of Certavus, Ackar, Tarix, and Vastus. (Bara Magna)
• 0 aA - Mata Nui creates those species that the Great Beings had not implemented prior to his awakening. This includes the Makuta.
• 5,000 aA - Mata Nui enacts the Great Contest to determine the future Barraki.

6,000 aA - The League Era

• 6,000 aA - The League of Six Kingdoms is formed.
• 10,000 aA - The Toa Cordak are wiped out by Zyglak.
• Unknown - Some Toa, such as Garrhoka, oppose the rule of League and form the earliest iteration of the Toa Lesokha.
• Unknown - The Red Star ceases to work as intended, and stops sending revived beings back to the Great Spirit.
• Unknown - A Civil War breaks out in the homeland of the Kolhaki, Konora.
• 20,000 aA - The Barraki prepare to seize Metru Nui, but are defeated by Makuta Teridax.

20,000 aA - The Prosecution and the Matoran Civil War

• 20,000 aA - Over the following years, the Brotherhood of Makuta leads campaigns to extinguish remnant forces of the League of Six Kingdom.
• Unknown - The events of Dusk of Makosu.
• 20,000 aA - The Toa Amaja are formed, and settle in a region which they defend.
• Unknown - The Dark Hunters are formed and occupy Odina.
• 20,500 aA - The Matoran Civil War breaks out in Metru Nui, causing the Great Disruption.
• 20,900 aA - The Matoran Civil War is ended, and the Toa Amaja heal the Great Spirit using the Kanohi Ignika.
• 20,900 aA - The Makuta are assigned to watch over the various regions of the universe.
• 20,900 aA - The Convocation; Makuta Teridax usurps Makuta Miserix as the leader of the Brotherhood of Makuta.
• 20,940 aA - The events of Shadow of the Coliseum.
• 20,940 aA - The events of Nurai Dawn.

21,000 aA - The Golden Age

• Unknown - The Visorak are created.
• 25,000 aA - Makuta Spiriah tampers with the Skakdi population of Zakaz.
• 35,000 aA - The events of Ruva Midnight.
• 40,000 aA - The Time Slip; many Matoran of Light are hidden by the Order of Mata Nui.
• 40,000 aA - Dume is active as a Toa.
• 60,000 aA - The Makuta evolve into a gaseous state.
• 80,000 aA - The legendary Glatorian Certavus passes away. (Bara Magna)

85,000 aA - The Silver Age

• 85,000 aA - Dume becomes a Turaga, and the Turaga of Metru Nui.
• Unknown - Kralhi, and subsequently, Vahki, are invented by Nuparu under commission by Turaga Dume.
• 92,995 aA - Lhikan becomes a Toa.
• 96,000 aA - The Kanohi Dragon is unleashed on Metru Nui. The Toa Mangai are formed.
• 97,000 aA - The Toa-Dark Hunter war occurs in Metru Nui.
• 98,700 aA - The Toa Hagah of Teridax rebel against the Brotherhood of Makuta.
• 98,700 aA - Makuta Teridax plants a virus in Mata Nui.
• 98,998 aA - 18 months before the Great Cataclysm, Makuta Teridax assumes the identity of Turaga Dume.

99,000 aA - The Dark Time

• 99,000 aA - The Great Cataclysm; Story Years 2004-2005.
• 99,001 aA - Makuta Teridax arrives on Mata Nui after one year of peace, per a bargain by Vakama.
• 99,999 aA - The Toa Mata are summoned by Takua.
• 99,999 aA - The Skrall are driven south by the Baterra, leaving the Sisters of the Skrall behind. They occupy the abandoned city of Roxtus. (Bara Magna)
• 100,000 aA - Story Years 2001-2003, 2006-2008.

100,001 aA - Reign of Shadows and the Battle of Bara Magna

• 100,001 aA - Makuta Teridax seizes control of the Great Spirit Robots and ejects Mata Nui with the Kanohi Ignika, who ends up on Bara Magna.
• 100,001 aA - Atero falls. (Bara Magna)
• 100,001 aA - Story Years 2009-2010.
• 100,001 aA - The Reformation of Spherus Magna.

100,001 aA - New Spherus Magna

• 100,001 aA - Velika sets plans in motion.