This rating indicates that the main elements of the claim in question are demonstrably false, but some of the details are demonstrably correct.
Was Julius Caesar the First Emperor of Rome?
It is sometimes claimed that Julius Caesar was the first emperor of Rome. While this was not the case, defining who was the first emperor of Rome is no easy task.
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 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.
Did Leonidas say “molōn labe” at the battle of Thermopylae?
Molōn Labe has become a go-to phrase to denounce political authorities removing the perceived rights of citizens, and its origins in Spartan history is used to solidify its meaning as a righteous stand against oppression.
Did people in ancient times believe the Earth was flat?
It is a commonplace to believe that people in the past held that the Earth was flat. But already in the distant past, people realized that our world is spherical.
Are the Homeric epics an accurate source for the Bronze Age Aegean?
The idea that the Homeric epics are somehow an accurate source for life in the Bronze Age Aegean has long gone the way of the dodo, at least in academic circles.