5 ridiculous pseudo-historical theories that still have supporters

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Impressive fans of the "Scientists are hiding!" we recommend to pass by.

Real historical research is consistent with the characteristics of scientific work. Scientists use special methods (analysis, synthesis, induction), give out hypotheses that can be refuted - and this is one of the most important criteria of scientific character, put forward by K. R. Popper. The logic of scientific research. M. 2005 by Karl Popper.

Nevertheless, the historical hypothesis cannot be confirmed empirically, as, for example, in physics, chemistry, or even in psychology. Therefore, a look at the past can have many interpretations, which leads to the appearance of ridiculous, and sometimes completely false theories. In addition, interest in the events of the past leads to the fact that historical research is often attempted by people who do not understand how to do it.

Therefore, a number of pseudo-historical concepts gained popularity, widely spread Volodikhin D., Eliseeva O., Oleinikov D. History of Russia in small peas. M. 1998 after the collapse of the USSR. They are often combined under the general name "folk history" (it should be noted that in the West, in relation to such theories, the concept of pseudohistory - "pseudohistory" is more common, and folk history refers to folk tales, myths and legends). At the same time, the works of such "historians" sell well, they are often talked about in the media.

It is sometimes impossible to understand the creations of folk historians without a detailed study: theories intersect, complement and mutually exclude each other. The reader is bombarded with a mass of "revelations" and "secret knowledge" that the official history supposedly hides.

Lifehacker decided to plunge into the ocean of pseudoscience and chose five of the most ridiculous pseudo-historical theories and concepts.

1. Civilizations of Antiquity and states of the early Middle Ages did not exist

How do you think that the real history of mankind is no more than two thousand years old, and that the various cultures of Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance did not exist?

The “new chronology” authored by Anatoly Fomenko is devoted to the substantiation of these statements.

Chronology is a historical discipline Shorin P. A., Kobrin V. B., Leontyeva G. A. Auxiliary historical disciplines. Textbook for universities. M. 2015, dealing with the establishment of dates of events and the creation of documents of the past. According to Fomenko, the established historical chronology is fundamentally wrong.

The basis for the new chronology was A. Kh. Gorfunkel. On the attempt to close history. Review of the work of M. M. Postnikov "Introduction to the criticism of ancient chronology." Problems of world history. Collection of articles in honor of A. A. Fursenko. SPb. 2000 ideas of the revolutionary-Narodnaya Volya at the beginning of the XX century Nikolai Morozov. He believed that the Gospel was written later than expected, therefore, the entire history of mankind is subject to revision. So, according to Morozov, the Mediterranean civilization appeared only in the 3rd century AD. e., and all the monuments of ancient literature - a fake of the Renaissance. He also revised the history of the emergence of peoples: for example, he believed that the Jews came from the Iberian Peninsula.

Even then, serious scientists raised N. M. Nikolsky. Astronomical revolution in historical science. The new world laughs at this concept. However, in the 1970s, Mikhail Postnikov, a professor of mechanics and mathematics at Moscow State University, revived it again after almost a century of oblivion. In the 1980s, another mathematician Anatoly Fomenko and his associates finally formed these ideas into the theory of a new chronology.

Unlike Morozov, Fomenko and his followers used progressive research methods: statistical correlation of ancient texts and dating according to astronomical observations. But the new chronology did not become more scientific from this.

So, Fomenko came to the conclusion that the whole history of mankind lasts no more than Fomenko A. T. Numbers against lies for two thousand years, and the events of Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance are the same episodes, erroneously entered into historical documents as different.

For example, ancient Greek colonization - this is Fomenko A. T. Changing the dates - everything is changing the Crusades, the Trojan War took place in the XIII century, and the French king Charles of Anjou and the ancient Persian king Cyrus are one and the same person. The Ottoman Empire of the 15th century, according to Fomenko, is Macedonia during the times of Tsars Philip II and Alexander the Great. The books of new chronologists are full of such correlations.

Events that are more or less subject to objective dating, according to Fomenko, begin with GV Nosovsky, AT Fomenko. The Western myth only from the 18th century, while it is allegedly impossible to trace written sources to the 9th century. Archaeological data are called controversial by new chronologists. For example, Fomenko expressed doubts about the methods of radiocarbon analysis and dendrochronology used for dating ancient finds.

New chronologists are sure that there was no Tatar-Mongol yoke. In the era of the Middle Ages, there allegedly existed a certain world empire Nosovsky GV, Fomenko AT Empire, a fragment of which was the Horde-Russia, which subjugated almost the whole world - including Europe, mired in vices. The first religion, according to the new chronologists, was Christianity, and all the rest had already emerged from it.

Fomenko and his followers argue that A. Kh. Gorfunkel never existed. About the attempt to close history. Review of the work of M. M. Postnikov "Introduction to the criticism of ancient chronology." Problems of world history. Collection of articles in honor of A. A. Fursenko. SPb. 2000 Homer, Herodotus, Cicero, Tacitus, Titus Livy, the fathers of the Christian Church Ambrose and Augustine, ancient Arabian and ancient Chinese cultures, as well as the culture of pre-Columbian America Nosovsky G. V., Fomenko A. T. Mastering America by Russia-Horde.

The followers of the new chronology attribute the facts that fall out of this concept to large-scale falsifications of historical sources: chronicles and chronicles, household items, human remains and buildings.

Fomenko's authority as a serious mathematician - professor and academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences since 1994 - did not save his chronological theory from criticism. It was refuted not only by the Myths of the “new chronology”. Materials of the conference at the Faculty of History of Lomonosov Moscow State University on December 21, 1999. M. 2001 historians and archaeologists, but also linguists, mathematicians, physicists, astronomers and chemists. Already in the early 2000s, the scientific community recognized the concept of a new chronology as completely untenable.

Often, the authors of the new chronology simply ignore the data on events cited in several sources. For example, considering the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380 as a fake, they are guided only by the story "Zadonshchina", without mentioning "The Massacre of others like the Don", the Simeon and Trinity Chronicle, and the "Rogozhsky Chronicler". In addition, Fomenko's followers do not consider the German chronicles, entries in the Uspensky synoid book, the texts of the Moscow-Ryazan treaties. That is, even for Russian history, the scale of falsification should be very extensive, but the new chronology goes much further, declaring at least the history of all of Europe to be false. However, even one archaeological site is worth an incredible amount of work to be forged.

2. "Veles's Book" - a genuine historical document of Ancient Russia

A special place is occupied by the pseudo-historical concepts of Russian nationalists. In particular, neo-pagans, who are trying in every possible way to "lengthen" the history of our country at the expense of "knowledge" about pre-Christian times, supposedly hidden from the public. At the same time, such hoaxes as "Veles's Book", it is also called "Isenbek's Planks" are used.

"Veles's book" contains mythical legends and prayers written in runic alphabet, which are attributed to the ancient Slavs. This alleged monument of ancient Russian literature is considered by the admirers of the "Veles Book" to be proof of the existence of "glorious and ancient pre-Cyrillic times" of the Eastern Slavs, which, from their point of view, lasted at least 1,800 years - from the 9th century BC. NS. to the 9th century A. D. NS.

The main popularizer of this fake is Russian writer and journalist Alexander Asov. He republished "Veles's book" more than 10 times, but no one has ever seen the "ancient original".

Yuri Mirolyubov, an emigrant writer, was the first to publish “Veles's Book” in the 1950s. He argued that the tablets allegedly dating back to the V-VIII centuries AD. e., was discovered by the colonel of the White Guard Volunteer Army F. A. Isenbek, who showed them to Mirolyubov. Mirolyubov photographed some of the tablets, and after that he was engaged in deciphering them. According to him, since 1941, when Isenbek died, the book has been lost.

Most likely, Mirolyubov himself is the author of the "Doshechek".

"Veles's book" does not stand up to comparison either with ancient Slavic texts or with mythical works of other peoples. It contains suffixes that are not typical for the Old Russian language, as well as a huge number of phonetic and grammatical errors. The "book" rather resembles an essay by a modern person, written in an artificial language, consisting of fragments of Slavic dialects. Among other things, the tablets show a linear perception of time, while pagan cultures are characterized by a sense of the cyclical nature of history.

daring about our land and about our wende, like another about our livelihood, but not for that

tako grytze though you tell us about the horsun and the spinning zuru of the fight against our bia bia bia a straight line

“And the Romans knew how we value our lives, and they left us. And then the Greeks wanted to take Khorsun away from us, and we fought not to fall into slavery. And this struggle and the great battles lasted thirty years …"

An excerpt of text from tablet 7b and its translation by B. Rebinder. Cited from “Attempts to“Improve”the Past:“Vlesova's Book”and Pseudohistories. Ancient Russia through the eyes of contemporaries and descendants (IX-XII centuries) IN Danilevsky

However, not only linguistic analysis casts doubt on the authenticity of the "Veles book". Thus, an examination of the photographs of the "tablets" established that these were not tablets at all, but drawings depicting them. The famous Russian historian Igor Danilevsky, in turn, discovered I. N. Danilevsky. Attempts to "improve" the past: "Vles's book" and pseudo-histories. Ancient Russia through the eyes of contemporaries and descendants (IX-XII centuries) M. 1998 there are a lot of coincidences between the history of the acquisition of Veles's book by Mirolyubov and Jack London's story “Three Hearts”. This work tells about the discovery of the nodular Maya writing.

Passionate defenders of Velesova Kniga dismiss any criticism as unscientific and accuse scientists, including the Russian Academy of Sciences, of receiving money from the state. The Russian Academy of Sciences, in their opinion, is trying in every possible way to hide the "truth."

For some reason, the Velesovites are not satisfied with the real history of their country, so they gladly pick up fakes. The ability to deny contradictory facts and interpret the same "Velesov book" in any way allows them to produce the most insane myths. For example, that the Slavs are the ancestors of all peoples.

3. Peter I was replaced during the Great Embassy

The emergence of pseudo-historical theories is not always associated with incorrect historical research or fake "finds." Sometimes rumors and superstitious speculations are enough.

This is how the theory appeared that the Russian tsar-reformer and the first emperor of all Russia Peter I was replaced during a trip abroad. Allegedly, only after this did Russia go along the pernicious and unsuitable Western path.

One of the supporters of this concept was folk historian Nikolai Levashov, who called himself a "healer" and proposed his candidacy as president of the Russian Federation, sectarian and author of extremist A. The Omsk court recognized Levashov's book as extremist books.

In the essay "Traces of a great empire" he wrote N. Levashov. Traces of a great empire. M. 2008, that a healthy young man of average height and strong constitution, with a mole on his left cheek, was devout and loving everything Russian, was leaving for Europe. Two years later, a sickly-looking Russophobe of about 40 years old returned to Moscow, hardly speaking Russian, forgetting everything he knew and could before leaving, and without a mole.

Levashov writes Levashov N. Traces of a great empire. M. 2008 that the painful appearance of Pseudopetra is a consequence of taking mercury drugs, which were popular at that time with tropical fever. The author tries to draw on the theory of the substitution of the tsar to the fact that immediately after returning from the trip, Peter sends his wife Evdokia to the monastery. The substitution Levashov also explains the subsequent "anti-Russian" undertakings of the emperor. For example, he writes that he “stole” 5,500 years of history from the people by introducing the chronology from the birth of Christ.

These speculations are based on a fairly simple fact. The fact is that Peter was so different from the image of a typical Russian Orthodox tsar, and his reforms so changed the usual picture of life that ordinary people could only explain it by substitution.

It is also worth remembering the Time of Troubles, when "Tsarevich Dmitry" (False Dmitry), who had died long before that, was in power. That is, when the country needed the king, few recalled that in fact he had been dead for a long time, and when the actions of the ruler went against the established way of life, “it turned out” that he was not a real king at all.

There are also legends that Peter was replaced in infancy. In some interpretations, this was done by the Emperor's own mother Natalia Naryshkin. According to another version, Peter was replaced during trips to the German settlement back in Moscow.

The extreme manifestation of such ideas was the rumor that the king was indeed the Antichrist in the flesh.

By the way, similar examples of "substituted rulers" are often found in world literature. For example, there is a myth that Jeanne d'Arc was from the royal family, but she was replaced in childhood. Similar motives can be found in works about a prisoner in an iron mask who was sitting in French prisons in the 17th century.

4. Ancient artists "cheated" when painting

Some pseudo-historians in the West are also trying to turn the standard picture of the world upside down. An example of this is the Hockney-Falco hypothesis.

According to pop art artist David Hockney and optics physicist Charles Falco, the realistic depiction of objects and people in Renaissance canvases is not related to Hockney D. Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters. Viking Studio. 2006 with the development of technology and craftsmanship. They believe that many famous paintings, starting with the works of Jan van Eyck and Caravaggio, could not be created "by eye" - only with the use of special optical devices:

• pinhole cameras - a simple projector that reproduces an inverted and not very clear image on a small screen;
• cameras-lucids - devices that allow you to simultaneously see both the object being drawn and the drawing itself through a special prism;
• spherical mirrors.

Pinhole camera. Illustration from the Encyclopedia of 1772. Image: Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert / Wikimedia Commons

Using the camera lucida when drawing. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Hockney and Falco read Hockney D. Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters. Viking Studio. 2006, that in this way the artists of the XIX century received copies of real objects on the canvas, on top of which they "painted" their paintings. Hockney emphasized that in the same way Andy Warhol created his works from the projections of photographs. To prove this, the artist conducted several experiments, making drawings using the methods named by him and Falco.

There are many arguments against the Hockney-Falco hypothesis. And among them is not only the fact that not a single source of the Renaissance reports on the use of optical instruments by painters. So, it is not clear how the artists managed to convey the swaying of fabric from the wind, because projection devices help to fix only a static picture.

Some devices did not exist at all during the Renaissance. For example, Jan van Eyck could not use a spherical mirror of the size that was needed to paint his canvases: in the 15th century, when the artist lived and worked, they were not even made. In addition, Hockney never used paint in his experiments. But a sketch, even made with the help of tricks, is not yet a pictorial canvas - real skill is needed to “paint” it.

5. In the USA, there was a "Dulles Plan" for the collapse of the USSR and the corruption of youth

We will pull out these spiritual roots of Bolshevism, vulgarize and destroy the main foundations of popular morality. In this way we will shake generation after generation, erode this Leninist fanaticism. We will tackle people from childhood, adolescence, we will always focus on youth, we will corrupt, corrupt, defile it!..

We will make of them cynics, vulgarians, cosmopolitans!..

We will educate them! We will do as many of them as necessary!..

Money will do everything, we will undermine the monolith of your society!..

These are not fragments of an insidious plan, the authorship of which is attributed to the head of the CIA of the 50-60s, Allen Dulles, as one might think. Here is a selection of quotes from the novel Eternal Call by Anatoly Ivanov, which, in a slightly revised form, are passed off by supporters of conspiracy theories as the intrigues of a hotbed of world imperialism. It is noteworthy that in the book these words do not sound from the mouth of an American spy (there are no such characters in it at all) - they are uttered by a former tsarist investigator who is fighting on the side of Germany in the Great Patriotic War. Partially, these phrases can be heard in the Soviet TV serial filmed based on the novel in 1973-1983.

The "document", however, substantiating one of the most ridiculous conspiracy theories, suddenly surfaced in the 90s of the last century. In the spring of 1992, he was quoted in a fake collection of statements by Russia's enemies in the pro-communist newspaper Narodnaya Pravda. An article entitled “Revelations of the Invaders” was published by a certain A. Inozemtsev from Chisinau. In it, Dulles was on a par with Napoleon, Goebbels and Kennedy.

Later "Revelations" were reprinted in other nationalist and "patriotic" newspapers, but it was the excerpts from the "Eternal Call" that made the greatest impression on the public. An important role in the popularization of The Dulles Plan was played by actor Nikolai Eremenko, who ironically played one of the roles in the television adaptation of the novel. Since 2016, this text has been included in the Federal List of Extremist Materials.

Belief in the existence of the "Dulles Plan" is associated with the desire to explain the collapse of the USSR not by an internal crisis and the collapse of the Soviet system, but by external influence, "the intrigues of the West." In addition, the plan lay on fertile ground among the supporters of traditional values, who perceive the penetration of foreign culture as a threat to national identity. This idea is enthusiastically taken up by some contemporary Russian thinkers, who see the danger in everything that comes from abroad. And, despite the fact that it has long been proven that there was no "Dulles Plan", they continue to discuss it.

Almost always, behind pseudo-historical theories there is a certain conspiracy "truth" in the spirit: "But in fact …" Pseudo-historians manage to give simple answers to complex questions and explain multifaceted phenomena by one reason. They adjust historical facts to their own vision of the world and ignore or declare false those that do not correspond to their views. They often come up with alternative "facts" and create fake evidence, intertwining reality and myth.

Many people like the “not like everyone else's” approach, so books by Fomenko, Levashov and others like them continue to be published and fly like hot cakes. The bibliography of the new chronology alone contains the bibliography of hundreds of works and dozens of films. The yellow media, in pursuit of a sensation, pick up these ideas, releasing "exposing" articles and "documentary" films.

There is nothing wrong with an alternative point of view, especially within the framework of history. The fact that individuals earn capital from this is also the case. But when behind this there is an outright lie, profanation, stupidity and ignorance, history really ceases to be a science or a branch of knowledge close to it. It turns into a marginal discipline akin to astrology or palmistry.