Anatoly Fomenko

Anatoly Fomenko is a Russian mathematician and historian of mathematics who developed New Chronology, a pseudohistorical account that radically revises conventional world history.

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New Chronology: A pseudohistorical theory that compresses and redates much of world history, chiefly through statistical analysis of historical records. Fomenko’s signature project applies his methods to claim that conventional ancient chronology is mistaken.
Statistical analysis of historical texts: Quantitative methods that compare linguistic, narrative, or other measurable features across written sources. Fomenko uses numerical similarities between chronicles to argue that they describe the same events.
Historical method: The critical evaluation of sources and evidence used to reconstruct and explain the past. Historians assess sources through provenance and context, rather than accepting statistical resemblance as proof of duplicated eras.
Alexander Zinoviev: A Russian sociologist, philosopher, and writer known for satirical works about Soviet society. Zinoviev publicly supported New Chronology, helping it gain attention in Russia.
Mikhail Postnikov: A Soviet mathematician known for work in topology, geometry, and the history of mathematics. Postnikov was Fomenko’s doctoral adviser and a major influence on his mathematical career.
Astronomical dating: Dating historical records by matching reported celestial events to astronomical calculations. Fomenko reinterprets eclipse and other celestial records to support revised dates.
Radiocarbon dating: A method for estimating the age of organic material from its remaining carbon-14. Independent physical dating provides chronological evidence that New Chronology must explain.
Russian nationalism: Political and cultural movements that emphasize Russian national identity, interests, or historical narratives. Some popular presentations of New Chronology recast world history around a greatly expanded Russian past.
Moscow State University: A public research university in Moscow, founded in 1755 and Russia’s largest university. Fomenko studied and pursued his academic career at this institution.
Textual criticism: The scholarly study of textual transmission, variants, and the reconstruction of earlier versions of a text. Its source-based methods differ from Fomenko’s reliance on statistical resemblance between narratives.