The Phantom Time Hypothesis

[Volnutt]

TIL, some people think that the years 614-911 (and I'm sure a sufficiently motivated conspiracy theorist could make quite a bit of hay about that particular end-year) never happened.

According to [historian Herbert] Illig—who cited zero evidence to back up this claim—Pope Sylvester II, Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, and Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII, all mesmerized by the idea of Christian millenarianism, thought it’d be really cool if they reigned during the year 1000 instead of the relatively drab and boring year 703, so they set their minions to fabricating an entire three-century stretch of time that never actually happened.

Therefore, Charlemagne never existed. Neither did Alfred the Great. According to Illig, Catholic historians invented all these characters in order to pad out history so that the Pope and those two emperors could flatter themselves by claiming to have ruled during the year 1000. As further “evidence” that these three centuries were fabricated out of thin air, Illig points out that there seemed to be no buildings constructed in Constantinople during this time period and no substantial evolution in Church doctrine regarding articles of faith such as purgatory.

 

[Luke]

 

[biro]

Alfred the Great would say different.

I wish these people would stop taking LSD.

olice:

 

[Schultz]

There's PLENTY of archaeological evidence to say otherwise.

This is one of the worst conspiracy theories ive ever read.

 

[Volnutt]

There's PLENTY of archaeological evidence to say otherwise.

This is one of the worst conspiracy theories ive ever read.

I know. I love the claim that dendrochronology is inaccurate lol.

 

[hecma925]

There's PLENTY of archaeological evidence to say otherwise.

This is one of the worst conspiracy theories ive ever read.

+1

 

[Schultz]

There's PLENTY of archaeological evidence to say otherwise.

This is one of the worst conspiracy theories ive ever read.

I know. I love the claim that dendrochronology is inaccurate lol.

oh, its definitely amusing.  so much bad science.

 

[CarolS]

A hilarious idea. So one would need to believe also that a long line of popes and patriarchs never existed as well as all the saints of that era? The person that dreamed this up knows nothing of church history, though perhaps if the iconoclast period had not happened would Islam so easily spread?

 

[Schultz]

A hilarious idea. So one would need to believe also that a long line of popes and patriarchs never existed as well as all the saints of that era? The person that dreamed this up knows nothing of church history, though perhaps if the iconoclast period had not happened would Islam so easily spread?

It also fails to take into account the archaeological record from non-European locales, like Mexico.  The Mayans were at their height at this period of time, as was Imperial China and the Kingdom of Axum in modern day Ethopia/Eritrea.  All of these places have a well documented timetable that doesn't rely on dendrochronology or even carbon dating, as they were all literate.

 

[RaphaCam]

There's PLENTY of archaeological evidence to say otherwise.

This is one of the worst conspiracy theories ive ever read.

I agree it's totally absurd, but I personally think it's the best conspiracy theory ever.

 

[Sethrak]

Just another BS story ```