Below is an overview of all the claims that we have examined so far. Have you come across a claim you’d like us to fact-check? Feel free to send it to us.
Was the date for Christmas decided at the Council of Nicaea (AD 325)?
The Roman emperor Constantine the Great convened the first Council of Nicea, where it was decided that 25 December would be the official date for Christmas. Is this notion correct?
Did Jesus steal Mithras' birthday?
Christmas time often brings with it the claim that early Christians stole the story and date for Jesus’ birth from the cult of Mithras. There is no ancient evidence that confirms this.
Did Pheidippides invent the marathon?
After the Battle of Marathon, Pheidippides is said to have run back to Athens to report the news of the Athenian victory. But was this run the inspiration for the modern marathon race?
Was Aesop Greek?
It is often assumed that Aesop, the writer of the famous Fables, was a Greek author. However, none of the evidence agrees with this.
Were elephants given wine before battle?
Some ancient sources claim that elephants were given wine before battle in order to rouse them into a fighting frenzy. But was this practical or even safe?
Were Achilles and Patroclus cousins?
The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is sometimes portrayed as one of cousins, most notably in movies based on the Iliad, but their relationship was far more complex.
Did the Spartans throw babies down mountains?
It is often repeated that the Spartans practiced an institutionalised form of eugenics, part of which included the disposing of “imperfect” babies . Modern archaeology, and historical studies, have brought this story under serious scrutiny.
Did the Spartans bring their war dead back on their shields?
It is often said that the Spartans returned their war dead back to Sparta on their shields, due in no small part to a famous quote in Plutarch.
Were pigs set on fire to fight elephants?
The idea that ancient armies would set a pig on fire sounds like the fantasy found in computer games, but the claim it is not as ridiculous as it may first appear.
Did the Oracle at Delphi get high on fumes?
Popular perceptions of the Oracle at Delphi include the Pythia sitting by or above a geological fissure and becoming intoxicated on fumes of some kind. Historians are less convinced by this image.