Watch This When You're High - The Phantom Time Hypothesis

Imagine someone told you that 300 years of history, including famous figures like Charlemagne, never happened, and everything you know about that time is a lie. That's the basic idea behind the Phantom Time Hypothesis.

A German historian named Heribert Illig came up with this theory in 1991. He believes powerful leaders like the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope conspired to fake this period of history. Why exactly? That's the million dollar question.

Illig points to a few things to support his theory, like inconsistencies in calendars and a supposed lack of evidence from that time. But most historians disagree with him. They say there's plenty of evidence proving those years did happen.

Wikipedia - Illig's theory suggests several reasons for this alleged fabrication:

Calendar Discrepancies: Illig points to inconsistencies between the Julian calendar (used during the supposed "phantom time") and the Gregorian calendar (introduced in 1582). He argues that these discrepancies are too large to be explained by simple miscalculations.

Lack of Archaeological Evidence: Illig claims there is a lack of archaeological evidence supporting events and figures from the alleged phantom period. However, this claim has been disputed by numerous historians and archaeologists.

Historical Forgeries: Illig suggests that documents and artifacts from the period were forged to support the fabricated history. Again, this claim has been widely refuted.

Political Motives: The theory suggests that Otto III and Pope Sylvester II had political motives for fabricating the phantom time, such as legitimizing their rule and placing themselves closer to the year 1000 AD, which was seen as a significant milestone.

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