The
mathematician Anatoly Fomenko is one of a number of Russian academics advancing
revisionist chronologies which portray a greatly foreshortened
view of European history. He argues that mediaeval and classical histories as we know them today were fabricated in Renaissance times. In his
book '
History: Fiction or Science', he 'proves' that Jesus Christ was born in 1053 and crucified in 1086, and that the Old Testament refers to mediaeval events... Fomenko's theories have been
debunked, but his ideas have nevertheless gained some
currency in Russia: among his supporters is the former chess champion
Garry Kasparov. Of course, Fomenko is by no means the
first mathematician to grapple with the subject of chronology: indeed, any history must be founded in part on a calculus of dates... Are there any parallels, I wonder, between the spread of theories like Fomenko's and the renewed prevalence of
Biblical chronologies in the US, for example: is there some kind of psychological solace in perceiving history on a smaller scale than current academic orthodoxy allows?
(more inside).
posted by misteraitch
on Mar 2, 2004 -
50 comments
