Forerunner

The Forerunners were a highly advanced and ancient species in the Halo franchise. They were the creators and builders of many significant installations including the Halo Array, the Ark and the Shield Worlds, as well as numerous lesser artifacts later found on many world. The alien alliance known as the Covenant worshipped the Forerunners as gods, deriving much of their technology from Forerunner artifacts found throughout the galaxy and believing any who defaced these relics to be Heretics.