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These historic lies may change the way you view history and our world. Source: photoschmidt / Adobe Stock

Eight Historic Lies about the Ancient World that will Blow Your Mind

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Our understanding of the past is fluid. Very often things we think we know about the past turn out to be false or highly distorted. Historians aren’t perfect; sometimes they make mistakes, other times they outright lie. There’s a long list of historical facts that we take for granted that aren’t true. Here are eight of the most commonly spread historic lies that are still being repeated today.

Historic Lie #1: Jewish Slaves Built the Egyptian Pyramids

This is one of the oldest and longest-lasting myths on the list. The idea that slaves built the pyramids likely dates back to around the 5th century BC and was only debunked in the 1990s. Two things that happened around the same are responsible for the myth.

First, the Book of Exodus was completed in the 5th century BC. It stated that the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, but made no mention of the pyramids or the Israelites being used as builders. Second, the Greek historian Herodotus was writing around the same time that Exodus was finished. In one of his works, he claimed that 100,000 slaves were used to build the pyramids. He didn’t mention the Israelites at all, however. This didn’t stop later historians from putting two and two together and getting five.

This historic lie lasted for over two and a half millennia. It appeared in school textbooks, and Hollywood movies depicted the Egyptians as cruel slave drivers. In 1977, then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin even went as far as to claim it was his people, not the Egyptians, who had built the pyramids.

In actuality, the Egyptians used trained builders to build the pyramids. In 1990, a tourist stumbled across some graves that, as it turned out, belonged to the pyramid builders. Digs were undertaken, and tombs dedicated to the Egyptian citizens who had built the pyramids were discovered.

The way the builders had been buried, and what they had been buried with, indicated they were free men, not slaves. Further archaeological discoveries proved that the workers had been recruited from low-income communities in ancient Egypt and that they had worked three-month shifts.

It’s believed the Greek historian also got his numbers exponentially wrong. It likely took 10,000 builders thirty years to build the pyramids. While it appears that they died young, it's likely they lived better lives as builders than they would have back home living in squalor. There is no evidence slaves built the pyramids.

For centuries, archaeologists have been studying how the Egyptian pyramids were built. We’ve learned a lot, including that it was trained builders, not Jewish slaves, who constructed them (NYPL / Public Domain)

For centuries, archaeologists have been studying how the Egyptian pyramids were built. We’ve learned a lot, including that it was trained builders, not Jewish slaves, who constructed them (NYPL / Public Domain)

Historic Lie #2: Ancient Greco-Roman Statues Were Undecorated

This is a weird one. We’ve known for a long time that sculptures and buildings were painted with bright colors in ancient Greece and Rome. People just chose to ignore it. For the longest time, representations of ancient civilizations showed them full of white marble and unpainted statues.

This is despite the fact that archaeologists had been finding statues that were stained from paint for centuries. The white marble was just so clean and beautiful that we basically decided to ignore evidence that they had once been painted. By the time of the Renaissance, clean white marble had become a symbol of Rome, and therefore, civilization. Early art historians went as far as to argue that the sculptures were supposed to be white, despite the fact that there was evidence of paint left on them.

It was so bad that the statues were defaced. Statues that were stained with paint had the paint washed off. The same went for buildings. The Parthenon in Greece still had its original paint until it was removed during the 18th century.

Worst of all, we had historical texts that described how colorful Roman cities were. When Pompeii was unearthed, it revealed a Roman Empire that was full of vibrant colors. Yet for some reason, we have clung to this idea that everything in Italy and Greece was white and clean, when in fact they were painted rather garish by today's standards.

Ancient Rome and Greece were incredibly colorful, although the paint has faded from the statues that have survived. Left: ‘Peplos Kore’, circa 530 BC and Right: Reconstructed in polychrome as Athena (Both by Marsyas / CC BY-SA 2.5)

Ancient Rome and Greece were incredibly colorful, although the paint has faded from the statues that have survived. Left: ‘Peplos Kore’, circa 530 BC and Right: Reconstructed in polychrome as Athena (Both by Marsyas / CC BY-SA 2.5)

Historic Lie #3: Columbus Was Trying to Prove the Earth Was Round

There is a common misconception that when Christopher Columbus made landfall in 1492, he wanted to prove to his compatriots that the Earth was round. It is also commonly claimed that Columbus struggled to get funding in the first place because potential sponsors were concerned they would lose their investment when Columbus’s ship fell off the edge of the Earth.

Both of these are wrong. People had suspected the Earth was round for thousands of years. Since at least 600 BC, scientists, philosophers, and mathematicians had been making observations that the Earth was most likely round. During Columbus's time, educated people were still studying the lessons of the ancient Greeks, and as such, the idea that the Earth may be round wasn’t particularly shocking in educated circles.

Rather than believing the Earth was flat, Columbus thought it only had a very small circumference. He didn’t set out to prove anything other than that if he sailed west (rather than east), he would soon reach China and open up new trade routes.

He struggled to find funding because no one agreed with him. They simply thought that, in a best-case scenario, he’d get lost by sailing west rather than east. The worst-case scenario? Round Earth theory would turn out to be wrong, and Columbus would sail straight off the edge of the world, with their investment.

The issue was that potential sponsors may have been familiar with the theory the Earth was round, but it was just that: a theory. No one had yet sailed the Earth’s circumference. Even those who believed in a round Earth lacked the science to explain how it might work, as Isaac Newton and his explanation of gravity were still a long way off. In their eyes, it just wasn’t worth the risk.

This myth doesn’t even come from Columbus’s time. It was invented in 1828, when the famous American author Washington Irving published The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. Irving was a better storyteller than he was a historian. When writing Columbus’s biography, he couldn’t stop himself from making some dramatic flourishes, such as Columbus setting out to prove the Earth was round. Irving’s readers were too trusting and took everything in the book as gospel. From that point onward, it became an accepted truth and it has taken decades to undo this historical lie.

"Columbus map", drawn circa 1490 in the Lisbon mapmaking workshop of Bartolomeo and Christopher Columbus (Public Domain)

"Columbus map", drawn circa 1490 in the Lisbon mapmaking workshop of Bartolomeo and Christopher Columbus (Public Domain)

Historic Lie #4: Columbus Discovered America

This is another historic lie that looms large today. It is commonly reported that Columbus was the first person to discover America. The United States even has a whole holiday celebrating the day that Columbus supposedly discovered their country.

This ignores one important fact: When Columbus ‘discovered’ America, there were already people there - lots of them. It is widely believed that humans first settled on the North American continent 15,000 years ago at the latest. Sea levels were much lower back then, meaning all they had to do was walk across the Bering land bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska.

Up until the 1970s, these early settlers were called the Clovis peoples. DNA evidence directly connects them to 80% of all indigenous peoples in the USA today. There is even evidence that there may have been settlers even earlier than the Clovis people, but for now, the evidence is inconclusive.

So, Columbus was the first European to discover America, right? Nope. The Vikings beat him to it by at least 500 years. Archaeological evidence of Viking settlers has been found on the Canadian island of Newfoundland that shows the Vikings were there long before Columbus was.

It’s incredible that the historic lie of Columbus’s ‘discovery’ of America has persisted so long. Columbus enslaved many inhabitants of the West Indies and became the first European slave trader in the Americas. (Public Domain)

It’s incredible that the historic lie of Columbus’s ‘discovery’ of America has persisted so long. Columbus enslaved many inhabitants of the West Indies and became the first European slave trader in the Americas. (Public Domain)

Historic Lie #5: The Ancient Romans and Greeks Were Fine With Homosexuality

This is a fact that’s no fun to debunk. There is a common misconception that the ancient Greeks and Romans were much more accepting of homosexuality than many people today. Sadly, this is a major oversimplification.

The ancient Greeks and Romans just had a very different understanding of sexuality. Rather than seeing sex as a heterosexual versus homosexual binary, it was seen as dominant versus passive. Simply put, it was only okay for a man to have homosexual sex if he was the ‘giver’ rather than the ‘receiver’. Furthermore, class factored in. It was beyond scandalous if a man from a lower class was found to be the dominant partner over an upper-class male. In ancient Rome, a man from a noble family could have his title and even his citizenship stripped from him if he was found to be the passive partner in a homosexual relationship.

As for women, they were always the passive partner. Lesbian sex was frowned upon because it was believed it required one of the women to take the man’s role as a penetrator, which was a big no-no.

The idea that Roman high society was full of hedonistic sex parties and orgies has also been exaggerated. While it is true that some Roman leaders, like Caligula, enjoyed hedonistic lifestyles, in general, the Romans seriously disapproved of overindulgence. It was fine for a man to enjoy the company of the occasional prostitute, or young male, but if he did it too much, there were dire social consequences.

In short, ancient people weren’t more liberal than we are today. They just had slightly different beliefs as to what was normal or acceptable. Just like today, there were often high prices to be paid if you broke these prudish rules.

Male couples at a symposium, as depicted on a fresco in the Tomb of the Diver from the Greek colony of Paestum in Italy (Public Domain)

Male couples at a symposium, as depicted on a fresco in the Tomb of the Diver from the Greek colony of Paestum in Italy (Public Domain)

Historic Lie #6: Jesus was born on December 25th

Christmas Day is one of the most important days of the year in many countries. Christians and non-Christians alike flock together to exchange gifts and enjoy Christmas cheer. Sadly, they’re probably doing it on the wrong day.

If there was a historical figure named Jesus, we have no idea when his birthday was. There’s no biblical reason to celebrate Christmas on December 25th. In fact, the Bible points in the opposite direction. The Gospel of Luke stated that shepherds were watching their flocks at night when Jesus was born. Shepherds would only have been watching their flocks at night during the lambing season in spring. In winter, their flocks would have been corralled.

It seems the most likely reason the date was chosen is that it comes exactly nine months after March 25th, the date it is traditionally said Jesus was crucified. Early Christians believed Jesus was conceived and killed on the same date, so it made sense that he would be born nine months later in December.

Furthermore, it fits with the winter solstice, which pagans like the Romans already celebrated from December 17th to December 25th. This festival included all the hallmarks of Christmas: gift-giving, family time, and partying. When Emperor Constantine converted the Roman Empire to Christianity in the early 4th Century, the Christian church simply appropriated the Roman holiday as Jesus's birthday. The church did much the same with Easter, which was also originally a pagan holiday.

Biblical mentions of shepherds tending their flocks indicate that if there was a historical Jesus, he was likely born in the spring, not in December. Nativity of Jesus by Botticelli, circa 1473 (Public Domain)

Biblical mentions of shepherds tending their flocks indicate that if there was a historical Jesus, he was likely born in the spring, not in December. Nativity of Jesus by Botticelli, circa 1473 (Public Domain)

Historic Lie #7: 300 Spartans Held off the Persians at Thermopylae

Everyone loves a good underdog story, and brave heroes fighting against grave odds. This particular historic lie about the Battle of Thermopylae has served to cement the idea that the Spartans were some kind of group of ancient super soldiers.

It has been erroneously stated that three hundred Spartans held the Thermopylae pass against a vast Persian army led by King Xerxes during the Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC. There were indeed 300 Spartans at the pass; they just weren’t alone. They were backed up by at least 4,000 allies. This isn’t to say they weren’t hugely outnumbered and doomed; they were. The story has just been exaggerated somewhat over the centuries.

Another historic lie: While there were 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae, they were joined by thousands of allies. Leonidas at Thermopylae, painting by Jacques-Louis David, 1814 (Public Domain)

Another historic lie: While there were 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae, they were joined by thousands of allies. Leonidas at Thermopylae, painting by Jacques-Louis David, 1814 (Public Domain)

Historic Lie #8: Cleopatra was Great Egyptian Beauty

There are two common misconceptions about Cleopatra. First, it is widely thought that she was some sort of otherworldly beauty whose looks brought men to their knees. Second, many people believe she was Egyptian by birth. Both are false.

The idea that Cleopatra was some sort of seductress has little historical backing. Ancient historians mostly wrote about Cleopatra’s intelligence and how skilled she was in the art of manipulation. It seems historians couldn’t get their heads around a woman who could outsmart her male contemporaries, so they put her success down to sex.

Cleopatra’s ancestors had quite a reputation for incest. This somewhat shallow gene pool meant that Cleopatra’s family dynasty, the Ptolemaic, were well-known for being a little odd-looking. This isn’t to say Cleopatra was described as ugly, but she wasn’t anything special. As Plutarch put it, “her beauty… was in itself not altogether incomparable, nor such as to strike those who saw her.”

She also wasn’t Egyptian! The Ptolemaic dynasty hailed from Greece and only came to rule Egypt after the reign of Alexander the Great. The rest of her family didn’t even speak Egyptian; Cleopatra was the first in her family to bother learning the local language. It seems the misconception was intentional on Cleopatra’s part. To cement her hold on power, Cleopatra represented herself as the reincarnation of the Egyptian goddess Isis.

While Cleopatra was an impressive ruler, she was probably not the great beauty we see portrayed on screen, after generations of family intermarriage. She may have also been a redhead! (Ángel M. Felicísimo / CC BY SA 2.0)

While Cleopatra was an impressive ruler, she was probably not the great beauty we see portrayed on screen, after generations of family intermarriage. She may have also been a redhead! (Ángel M. Felicísimo / CC BY SA 2.0)

Conclusion

Our historians and school teachers have been lying to us for centuries. Many of the ‘historical facts’ we often parrot to each other are false. Some of the historical lies are genuine misunderstandings, while others have slightly more sinister origins.

Some of these false facts have had real-world consequences. For example, when one museum made an accurately painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta, they received death threats. Why? Because white Nationalists were outraged that it didn’t match the image of the ancient civilization they’d centered their twisted beliefs around.

Statue of Augustus of Prima Porta, with pigments reconstructed for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival (Marionaaragay / CC BY SA 3.0)

Statue of Augustus of Prima Porta, with pigments reconstructed for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival (Marionaaragay / CC BY SA 3.0)

We can’t trust everything we read on the internet. Sometimes these historic lies are genuine mistakes and misunderstandings, but other times they’re propagated by groups with their own agendas. By changing how we view the past, they can change how we view the present.

Top Image: These historic lies may change the way you view history and our world. Source: photoschmidt / Adobe Stock

By Robbie Mitchell

References

Blakemore, E. 2017. Christopher Columbus Never Set Out to Prove the earth was Round. History.com. Available at: https://www.history.com/news/christopher-columbus-never-set-out-to-prove-the-earth-was-round

Enochs, K. 2017. The Real Story: Who Discovered America. VOA. Available at: https://www.voanews.com/a/who-discovered-america/3541542.html

McDougall, H. 2010. The Pagan Roots of Easter. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/apr/03/easter-pagan-symbolism

Why Columbus Day Courts Controversy. History.com. Available at: https://www.history.com/news/columbus-day-controversy

Wilde, R. 2019. Did 300 Spartans Hold Thermopylae? ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/did-300-spartans-really-hold-thermopylae-1221097

 

Comments

It is correct as the author states that the Biblical book of Exodus does not say the Jews built the pyramids.  

However, it is not correct, as the author adds,  that it never says the Hebrews (or Jews) were builders.

  The text actually says they worked building "storehouses” for Pharaoh, specificallly in places identified as Pithom and Rameses.

In one part of the story it elaborates that the slaves needed to gather materials to make bricks out of straw and mud, commenting that while they were originally provided with the materials, at some point to punish them, they were required to gather those materials themselves instead of having them provided to them, yet their brick quotas would remain the same.

CCghost

Yes, medical science is not always as is generally accepted. In fact, often it is quite divorced from wellness.

However, as it is Christmas I'll think of children and write of child trafficking, another subject the media don't like talking about. Child trafficking is a huge problem, not just in impoverished and war-torn countries but in the wealthiest nations too.

The traffickers know the official protection they receive could be blown asunder if people wake up. They also know how many children they are trafficking, just as drug traffickers know the exact weight of their drugs. These two facts in the previous sentence are related, as both activities are often masterminded by the same people and have been for years.

If ten thousand children are trafficked in a year in a certain country, for example (which is not a particularly high national figure), traffickers can up the ante and add two fictitious noughts to that to muddy the waters. Thus, it can be spread around conspiracy theory groups by fake accounts. Picked up by real conspiracy theorists who are painfully aware that the trafficking is truth and not just a theory, yet who have potentially dropped their guard on scale in their understandably keen desire to stop an awful trade, and the unknowing public suddenly see even less reason to believe the conspiracy theorists' otherwise truth than they did before.

Yet, it need not stop there. One may say there's a million children in need of rescuing from traffickers in that country not in a year, but right now. This should be even less believable than it is at first glance. After all, few children in the system in January are still there by December. The turnover is high. The most that could be rescued at any one time would probably be no more than one tenth to one third of the total annual number at the very, very most. In other words, maybe a fraction of the annual total, not a hundred times the latter.

This is how discrediting the truth works through theoretical falseness by association. The media and government can then focus on the clearly unbelievable bits as an excuse for not looking any further into it and Joe or Josie Public can ignore it because it has all been made up, because to some extent it has been. However, whether it is a million or ten thousand in one nation hardly matters. One is one too many. And one is never the number.

So, why didn't I write about medical science, instead? In fact, I just did. Child trafficking serves a number of evil purposes. Medical experimentation, organ harvesting and blood harvesting are three of these.

The media wrote about child trafficking in one eastern European country about a decade ago. The United Nations stated the trafficking in reports, with this now war-torn country being one of the very worst in that regard. Yet, the widespread amnesia on the subject now is mind-boggling.

Discrediting and distracting works, as a divide and conquer strategy.

I cannot even begin to describe the size and amount if lies we have been taught or given to understand. For just one example, medical science is largely based on lies because if we knew the truth there would be no money to be made. Good health does not come in the form of an allopathic pill. The path to good health is just too simple for most to understand. I believe that there is a massive controlling umbrella which vets every single item which comes from the media, no matter the platform of the media. If you wish to control people you cut them off at their roots (divide and rule). I give one example of cutting off at the roots: Red means charge, green means stop, confuse the people and make traffic lights the other way around. This very simple example is but just that. Think about this hard enough and long enough and you will come to some very difficult conclusions.     

 

 

 

Half-truth dominates history, just as it does with psychological manipulation. That is because the best way to protect fundamental lies are with layers of truth.

It is human nature to focus on obvious truths, thereby believing the lies that may accompany them, as is known by the manipulative, but not by the manipulated. If the latter understood the manipulation they would resist, if not simply cowering anyway. People tend to believe what they want to believe, however, which is usually what others tell them to believe. It makes life easier to do so, until it doesn't, but by then it's probably too late to do much about it.

Merry Christmas - except of course, it's unlikely that the 25th of December could be the correct day or that much of the usual trappings aren't Paganism rebadged. These two points don't make a popular message, but they are definitely related to the subject at hand, of how untruths are defended by tradition and groupthink. Meanwhile, reasoned logic comes to be regarded as illogical because it offends the prevailing false wisdom or is simply misunderstood.

Gary Moran's picture

Help! I’m lost in the convuloted rambling and illogical reasoning. Maybe it’s just too profound for my limited comprehension.

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Robbie Mitchell's picture

Robbie

I’m a graduate of History and Literature from The University of Manchester in England and a total history geek. Since a young age, I’ve been obsessed with history. The weirder the better. I spend my days working as a freelance... Read More

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