Antiquity

Antiquity (古代文明) is the year 12,000 B.C. in. This is the era of the fall of the Kingdom of Zeal, who abused the power of Lavos and sank to the bottom of the sea. Those born after this time period are unable to naturally use magic.

Geography
The surface geography of 12,000 BC looks in some ways like the Present, except that the climate of the lower atmosphere is much colder, so much so that the entire surface of the planet is covered by a never-ending blizzard. Above the cloud tops, however, the weather is warm enough to support liquid water and human life. The Kingdom of Zeal floats above the clouds and dominates most of the planet. After the Ocean Palace incident, Lavos destroyed the Kingdom of Zeal and it fell from the sky. This caused a massive tidal wave which flooded most of the planet. It also cleared the clouds in the sky and eliminated the inversion, allowing the climate to become warm and temperate again.

Gates
There is only one gate which the player finds after Lavos falls from the sky in Prehistory, which leads to a cave on the surface in 12,000 BC.

This gate is sealed by Schala at the Prophet's (Magus') demands after Crono and his party are forced to go back through. Crono then must find other means to get back to this age.

Native Characters
Magus is the only playable character from 12000 B.C.
 * Queen Zeal - The psychopathic ruler of the Enlightened Ones.
 * Schala - The operator of the Mammon Machine and Janus's sister.
 * Janus - The prince of Zeal and Schala's brother.
 * Dalton - The leader of Zeal's soldiers.
 * Melchior - The Guru of Life and creator of the Masamune.
 * Gaspar - The Guru of Time and the party's guide for most of the game.
 * Belthasar - The Guru of Reason and creator of the Ocean Palace, Blackbird, and Epoch.
 * Earthbound Elder - Elder of the Earthbound, and of the Surviving Village once Zeal falls.
 * Alfador - Janus's pet cat who later winds up in the Surviving Village after the fall of Zeal.
 * Mud Imp - An imp who blocks the way to Mountain of Woe. He is accompanied by the Red and Blue Mudbeasts in battle.
 * Giga Gaia - The guardian of Mt. Woe. Once he is defeated, the mountain falls.
 * Nu - Several exist in this era. One is a shopkeeper in the Last Village, who sells whatever turns up on the shore. Another is a shop-keeper in Kajar. Yet another has stolen a Magic Capsule from its master, while another teaches a valuable "scratching" technique.

Story
A great deal of the history of the Chrono Trigger world is explained in this time period, and its connection to magic and Lavos.

1st Visit
After defeating the Reptites, Crono and his party witness Lavos arriving at the planet. It quickly buries itself underneath the surface, and leaves behind a time gate which Crono and his party travel through. It brings them to the year 12,000 BC, a time when humans are divided between magic yielding Enlightened Ones and the cast away Earthbound Ones. The Earthbound Ones live on the surface of the planet, which is covered by a never ending winter which was caused when Lavos struck the planet. Crono and company find the Kingdom of Zeal, home to the Enlightened Ones, a floating paradise above the clouds. When they arrive at the Queen's Palace, they are identified as a threat by the "Prophet", who is Magus in disguise. Magus was sent back here during his encounter with Crono's team in his lair, and became a Prophet to the people of Zeal due to his knowledge of future events. Crono and his party are defeated by Queen Zeal and Dalton, and held prisoner in the palace. Schala frees them, but before they can get far the Prophet forces Crono and his friends back through the time gate, and has Schala seal it behind them, but not before they learn that Melchior is being held prisoner at a place called The Mountain of Woe, and that the denizens of Zeal draw their magic directly from Lavos using the Mammon Machine.

2nd Visit
After acquiring the Epoch, Crono and his friends rescue Melchior from Mt. Woe and meet with Schala and the Earthbound Ones in a cave on the surface. Melchior devises a way to destroy the Mammon Machine using a Ruby Knife. The cave is attacked by Dalton's force and Schala is taken to the Ocean Palace. Crono and his party battle their way through the Ocean Palace until they reach the Mammon Machine's chamber. Queen Zeal is using Schala to draw untold amounts of energy from Lavos, which causes the beast to awaken. Magus reveals himself, and attempts to kill Lavos but is easily defeated. Crono is killed by Lavos when he steps in front of the beam to save his friends. Lavos then proceeds to destroy the Ocean Palace and fires beams of energy into the sky, destroying the Kingdom of Zeal and sending it crashing down to the surface. The impact causes a massive tidal wave which floods most of the planet's surface. Schala teleports Magus and the remainder of Crono's team to safety, her own fate unknown until Chrono Cross.

While the survivors regroup on the surface and form Last Village, Dalton flies in with the Blackbird and declares himself the new "King" of Zeal. He steals the Epoch and takes Crono's friends prisoner. They escape, destroy the Blackbird, and send Dalton through a time gate. At this point, the player confronts Magus back on the surface, and can choose to either kill him or take him in as a party member. Either way, he will reveal a way to bring Crono back to life.

Eventually, the remainder of the Ocean Palace rises into the sky as the Black Omen. Queen Zeal is still alive inside, bound to Lavos, and possibly immortal. The Enlightened Ones who survived the destruction of Zeal no longer have magical powers and now live amongst the Earthbound Ones. The destruction of Zeal also caused the blizzard that completely covered the planet, and the surface dwellers would go on to form the various kingdoms of the Middle Ages.

The player can choose to revisit 12,000 BC at this point, but other than the time gate cave, the Black Omen, and Sun Temple of this era there is nothing left as most of the world is underwater.