The new chronology is a theory that is not based on real evidence. It claims that events usually linked to ancient civilizations like Rome, Greece, and Egypt actually happened during the Middle Ages, more than 1,000 years later. The theory also suggests that world history before the year 1600 was centered around a global empire called Great Tartaria and that records from this time have been changed to fit the goals of groups such as the Vatican, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Russian House of Romanov. This idea was first widely shared in the 1990s by Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov and later by mathematician Anatoly Fomenko. Most experts in history and related fields do not support this theory.

Central concepts

The new chronology theory began with the work of Nikolai Morozov, though earlier ideas by Jean Hardouin can be seen as an early influence. The theory is most closely linked to Anatoly Fomenko, who has written extensively on the subject with the help of other authors. The theory is best explained in the book History: Fiction or Science?, which was first published in Russian.

This theory creates a completely new timeline that shortens recorded history significantly, suggesting that most events from the Neolithic period to the Early Middle Ages occurred within less than 1,000 years. According to Fomenko, written history began around 800 AD, with very little information about events between 800 and 1000 AD. He claims that most historical events actually happened between 1000 and 1500 AD.

The new chronology is widely rejected by scientists and historians because it conflicts with established methods for dating events, such as absolute and relative dating techniques. Experts classify it as pseudoarchaeological, pseudohistorical, and pseudoscientific. While academics have mostly dismissed the theory, some people outside the scientific community are interested in it. Research suggests that up to 30% of Russians may support the theory, though it is unclear how many people view it as factual history or as fiction.

The theory developed during a time of increased nationalism and fewer restrictions on publishing after the Soviet Union ended. Other authors, such as Russian Gleb Nosovsky and Bulgarian Yordan Tabov, have also written about the theory, but Fomenko’s work remains the primary source for understanding it.

History of the new chronology

The idea of different timelines than the usual ones can be found as early as the second half of the 17th century or before. Jean Hardouin believed that many ancient historical writings were not as old as people thought. In 1685, he published a version of Pliny the Elder’s Natural History, claiming that most Greek and Roman texts had been made up by Benedictine monks. When asked about his findings later, Hardouin said he would explain the monks’ reasons in a letter to be shared only after his death. The people who handled his belongings after he died could not find such a letter in his papers. In the 17th century, Sir Isaac Newton studied the timeline of Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, and the Ancient Near East. He was not happy with the existing ideas and, in The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended, suggested a different one. Based on Apollonius of Rhodes’ Argonautica, Newton changed the traditional dates for the Argonautic Expedition, the Trojan War, and the Founding of Rome.

In 1887, Edwin Johnson said that early Christian history was mostly made up or changed in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

In 1909, Otto Rank noted repeated stories in the history of many cultures:

almost all important civilizations created myths and celebrated their heroes, mythical kings, and founders of religions, dynasties, empires, and cities in poetry. These stories often included imaginary details about their birth and early lives. The surprising similarity, even exact sameness, of these tales, even when they involved completely separate peoples far apart from each other, is well known and has surprised many researchers.

Fomenko became interested in Morozov’s theories in 1973. In 1980, with some colleagues from the mathematics department of Moscow State University, he published several articles on “new mathematical methods in history” in journals that review scientific work. These articles caused a lot of debate, but Fomenko did not gain support from any respected historians. By the early 1990s, Fomenko stopped trying to convince scientists through published research and instead wrote books. Alex Beam wrote that Fomenko and his colleagues were noticed by Soviet science writers in the early 1980s, leading to a short period of fame. A review in the Soviet journal Questions of History criticized their work, saying it had “nothing in common with Marxist historical science.”

By 1996, Fomenko’s theory included Russia, Turkey, China, Europe, and Egypt.

Fomenko's claims

Fomenko's new chronology includes his belief in a large empire made up of Slavic and Turkic people, called "the Russian Horde" or "Great Tartaria." He claims this empire was very important in Eurasian history before the 17th century. Many groups mentioned in ancient and medieval history, such as the Scythians, Huns, Goths, Bulgars, Polans, Dulebes, Drevlians, Pechenegs, Cossacks, Ukrainians, and Belarusians, are all parts of this single Russian Horde.

Fomenko suggests that the historical Jesus may have been based on Byzantine Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos, who lived around AD 1152 to 1185. He also claims that the figure of Jesus combines traits from several real and imagined people, including the Old Testament prophet Elisha, Pope Gregory VII, Saint Basil of Caesarea, and Emperor Li Yuanhao of Western Xia. He explains differences in their stories as the result of different languages, perspectives, and time periods of the writers. Fomenko states that Jesus was born on December 25, 1152, in Cape Fiolent, Crimea, and was crucified on March 20, 1185, on Joshua's Hill near the Bosphorus.

Fomenko combines the histories of Jerusalem, Rome, and Troy into a single place he calls "New Rome," which the Gospels refer to as Jerusalem. He identifies Troy as Yoros Castle and says Joshua's Hill, near Yoros Castle, is where Calvary is located. He also claims the Hagia Sophia is the biblical Temple of Solomon and that Solomon is represented by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled from 1494 to 1566.

Fomenko argues that the word "Rome" can refer to different cities or kingdoms. He says the "First Rome" or "Ancient Rome" is an ancient Egyptian kingdom in the Nile Delta with its capital in Alexandria. The "Second Rome" is Constantinople, and the "Third Rome" includes Constantinople, Rome in Italy, and Moscow. He claims Rome in Italy was founded around AD 1380 by Aeneas, and Moscow, as the third Rome, was the capital of the great "Russian Horde."

Fomenko's methods

Fomenko studies astronomical events mentioned in ancient writings and says the timeline is from the medieval period instead of the ancient times. For example:

Reception

Anatoly Fomenko’s historical ideas are not accepted by most scientists, historians, or scholars. These groups call his work fake history, fake archaeology, and fake science. However, Fomenko’s ideas became more widely known because of Garry Kasparov, a former world chess champion. James Billington wrote that Fomenko’s theory might have been ignored by experts if not for Kasparov’s support in a magazine called Ogoniok. Kasparov met Fomenko in the 1990s and agreed with some of Fomenko’s claims, such as the belief that art and culture declined during the Dark Ages and only improved later during the Renaissance. Kasparov also thought it strange that the Romans and Greeks under the Byzantine Empire did not use the scientific knowledge left by Ancient Greece and Rome, especially when this knowledge could help with military needs. However, Kasparov did not support Fomenko’s idea of changing historical dates.

According to Sheiko, Fomenko and his supporters claim that groups like the Mongolians, Turks, and Ukrainians were never separate from the Russian Empire. Some Russian critics see Fomenko as a symbol of the decline in Russian education and society since the end of communism. Western critics believe Fomenko’s ideas are part of a movement to revive Russian imperial pride.

In 2004, Fomenko and his coauthor, Gleb Nosovsky, received an anti-prize called “Abzatz” (a Russian word meaning “disaster” or “fiasco”) at the Moscow International Book Fair. The award was given for their books on “new chronology” in the category “Certificate of Dishonor.”

Critics say Fomenko changes historical data to fit his theories. They argue that he only uses information that supports his ideas and ignores other evidence, which weakens his arguments. In 1999, experts from Moscow State University reviewed Fomenko’s work and criticized it. One archaeologist compared his methods to a magic trick. A Russian linguist also pointed out problems with how Fomenko used historical language data.

James Billington, a former professor of Russian history and a U.S. government official, linked Fomenko’s ideas to a political movement called Eurasianism, which connects Russian history to its Asian neighbors. Billington wrote that Fomenko believes Western historians exaggerated past conflicts between Russia and the Mongols. Fomenko’s theory suggests that Russia and Turkey were once part of the same empire. A French reviewer praised Billington’s analysis of Fomenko’s ideas.

H.G. van Bueren, a professor of astronomy, criticized Fomenko’s use of math and astronomy in history. He compared Fomenko’s work to other discredited scientific theories, like Soviet-era pseudoscience.

In 2020, a Russian politician named Sergey Glazyev promoted Fomenko’s “new chronology” as a way to help build a strong Russian identity. Glazyev said Fomenko’s ideas provide a logical way to remember Russia’s history and shape its future.

Most archaeologists and scientists use methods like dating tree rings to study history. These methods have been tested and refined over many years. For example, tree ring records from North America and Europe show a timeline stretching back 12,400 years. These records match radiocarbon dating results, creating a reliable tool for dating ancient events.

Critics of Fomenko say he ignores standard rules for studying history. He does not review all sources about a topic and only uses those that support his views. He also uses strange methods to compare historical texts, which experts say are not reliable. Fomenko’s critics argue that differences in language, style, and focus among historians make it hard to measure the importance of events. They also say Fomenko changes historical records to fit his theories, such as claiming that ancient sources are mostly fake or copied. For example, Fomenko compared Pope Gregory VII to Jesus, focusing only on their shared religious roles while ignoring other differences.