Heribert Illig
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Heribert Illig (born 1947 in Vohenstrauß, Germany) is a German Systems analyst and the leading proponent of the so-called "phantom time hypothesis" which asserts that the Dark Ages did not exist and that the approximately 300 years between 614 and 911 are an invention. If this hypothesis held true, we would not be living in the early 21st century, but the early 18th century - the year 2000 were actually the year 1703.
Because none of Illig's work has been translated his thesis has received little attention in the English-speaking world.
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Claims
The basis of Illig's claims is the paucity of archaeological evidence that can be securely dated to this period; perceived inadequacies of radiometric and dendrochronological methods of dating this period, and the over-reliance of medieval historians on written sources. One consequence of Illig's hypothesis is that Charlemagne never existed but is a fictional character.
Criticism
Illig's theories have received widespread academic criticism. The main arguments against his hypothesis are:
- Illig underestimates the archaeological evidence and also the research done on the literary sources from the period.
- Dendrochronolgy, the method of scientific dating based on the analysis of tree ring patterns, refutes a gap of three centuries.
- Illig's hypothesis requires a widespread conspiracy involving not only the Occident, but also the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world, in order to fabricate all the synchronisms provided by the sources. Such a conspiracy however is highly unlikely.
- Illig gives no credible motivation for the supposed fabrications.
Books by Heribert Illig
- Wer hat an der Uhr gedreht? ISBN 3548750648
- Das erfundene Mittelalter ISBN 3548364292
See also
New Chronology, a proposal by Russian mathematician Anatoly Timofeevich Fomenko, makes a similar claim, but asserts a far larger gap in conventional dating on the order of a full missing millennium. It is not generally taken seriously.
Less fanciful, but still controversial, is the revised chronology of ancient Egypt proposed by Eygptologist David Rohl.
External links
- Forget about the year 2000, we still live in 1703 (http://lelarge.de/wamse.html)
- Explanation of the "phantom time hypothesis" in English (http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/volatile/Niemitz-1997.pdf)
- Critique of Illig's hypothesis in English (http://www.philjohn.com/papers/pjkd_h04.html)