The Ancients were the original "builders of roads" and were the race of beings who created the stargate. They were a members of an alliance of four advanced races in the milky way galaxy who's other members included the Nox, Asgard and the Furlings.

The ancients did not evolve on earth but came from a distant galaxy and made earth there new home for many thousands of years. Until a plague swept across the galaxy and many of them learned to ascend to a higher plane of existance. Other ancients left our galaxy and headed for pegasus in Atlantis to seed new life in a new galaxy.

Here as before they built a system of stargates so new civilisations could trade knowledge and friendship. The new life prospered for many thousands of years until the ancients awoke a terrible enemy on a distant world. The ancients never before encountered beings with powers that rivalled their own and in their over confidence they were unprepared and outnumbered. The enemy known as the Wraith swept across the galaxy feeding of the defenseless human worlds until only atlantis remained.

Atlantis's powerful shield was able to withstand there terrible weapons but here the ancients were besieged for many years. Seeing no way to win the war the ancients submerged their city into the ocean and returned to Earth. They left Atlantis to slumber hoping that one day their kind could eventually return.

The Ancients were one of the most advanced races ever encountered and their technology can almost never be matched in power and vastness. As the ancients built Atlantis a powerful intergalactic city ship, a ship capable of traveling through time and powerful warships and shields these are some of there many magnificant inventions proving that they are one of the most advanced a powerfull races ever encountered.

The ascended ancients have a high moral code and will not interfere with the lower planes of existance. This is there highest law and severe punishmant is applied to an ascended being who breaks this law. However the rules and laws can be bent in extreme sircumstances and ascended beings can choose to retake human form if they wish.

The ancients are a kind race of beings who will help anyone who is in danger. The best example of this is Janus who was an ancient scientist who helped Dr Weir stay behind on atlantis so that she could rotate the ZPM's powering the city so that the city had enough power when the atlantis expedition arrived from earth. Janus also programmed the city to rise to the suface of the ocean when the shield was about to collapse so that the city would be saved from flooding and the expedition from drowning. Janus also gave Dr Weir gate addresses to where ZPM's are located in the pegasus galaxy.