This rating indicates that the main elements of the claim in question are demonstrably false.
Was Sparta a communist state?
Writers have often associated Sparta with a communist or proto-communist ideology, based in no small part on the writings of Plutarch. But is there any truth to this claim?
Did slaves build the Egyptian pyramids?
According to some ancient sources, the kings of ancient Egypt used large numbers of slave labour to undertake large building projects, such as the pyramids. Is there any truth to this notion?
Did Atlantis exist?
The Athenian philosopher Plato (428/7 to 348/7 BC) created the island of Atlantis as a fiction. Sadly, this has not stopped people from trying to find it.
Is Easter named after Ishtar?
Are the Easter celebrations somehow based on the ancient worship of the goddess Ishtar?
Was ancient wine more alcoholic than modern wine?
Because the ancient Greeks and Romans mixed their water with wine, it is often assumed that their wines were considerably more alcoholic than modern ones. Is this notion correct?
Were thumbs-up/thumbs-down gestures used to mean life and death in Roman gladiatorial arenas?
Popular portrayals of the gladiatorial games always present the Emperor presiding over them, gesturing with his thumb to offer his judgement: thumbs-up, the defeated gladiator may live; thumbs-down, he should die. But is there any actual evidence to support this image?
Were there any Roman survivors at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest?
In AD 9, three Roman legions under the command of Publius Quinctilius Varus were ambushed and destroyed in the Teutoburg Forest in Germania. Were there any survivors?
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 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.