Monolith (Space Odyssey)

Monolith
Space Odyssey series of prose fiction element
A replica monolith prop at École Normale Supérieure in Paris, 2020
Publisher	Stanley Kubrick Productions
First appearance	2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Created by	Stanley Kubrick Arthur C. Clarke
Genre	Science fiction
In-universe information
Type	Machine
Function	Deals with themes of existentialism, human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial intelligence

In Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series, Monoliths are machines in black cuboids whose sides extend in the precise ratio of 1 : 4 : 9 (1² : 2² : 3²) built by an unseen extraterrestrial species whom Clarke dubbed the Firstborn and who he suggests are the earliest highly intelligent species to evolve in the Milky Way. In the series of novels (and the films based on these), three Monoliths are discovered in the Solar System by australopithecines and their human descendants. The characters' responses to their discoveries drives the plot of the series and influences its fictional history, particularly by encouraging humanity to progress with technological development.

The first Monolith appears at the beginning of the story, four million years before the present era. It is discovered by a group of australopithecines and triggers a shift in evolution, starting with the ability to use tools and weaponry. It is later revealed that thousands of other Monoliths exist elsewhere in the galaxy.