Top 10 Ancient Conspiracy Theories

Moses is a Biblical figure, who was raised as part of an Egyptian royal family, yet became an important prophet for several monotheistic faiths. Akhenaten was an Egyptian pharaoh in the 14th century BC, the husband of Nefertiti and likely father of King Tut, who broke from traditional polytheism to elevate one god, Aten, above all others. Some scholars have suggested that Akhenaten may have been the historical basis for Moses, or at least the origin of monotheism in the region. While Egypt’s rejection of Atenism and the desecration of Akhenaten’s works makes piecing the truth together difficult, this mysterious pharaoh’s connections to Abrahamic religions has fascinated many, including figures like Sigmund Freud.

Speaking of ancient Egypt, arguably the most popular conspiracy about it is that the pyramids were constructed by, or with the assistance of, aliens. The idea is that the sophistication of these enormous constructions was too complex to create using the tools available at the time. While these theories have led to some cool movie and TV stories, they erect assumptions on gaps in our knowledge that are slowly being filled. We have quarries, tool marks, and the tombs of laborers as evidence that humans built the pyramids, using ramps and pulleys. These types of conspiracy theories have been called out as Eurocentric, for assuming that other ancient civilizations couldn’t have been capable of architectural feats. Still, they persist.

Alexander the Great conquered much of Western Asia as well as Egypt. His military campaign even extended into India. However, while planning more conquests from Babylon, the leader of the newly formed Macedonian Empire died suddenly at the age of 32. While his exact cause of death is unknown, the prevailing theories are that it was the result of malaria or typhoid fever, which match his reported symptoms and were common in the region. However, for thousands of years, another theory has persisted - that Alexander was poisoned. Possible culprits range from his relatives to his generals, and the type of poison varies as well. Given Alexander’s success in battle, it does feel appropriate that his defeat would come through subterfuge.

The Battle of the Catalaunian Plains was one of the last major battles fought by the Western Roman Empire, who allied with the Visigoths against Attila the Hun. There’s much about this battle that history disputes, from its importance, to its outcome. One 7th-century historian, whose work became known as ‘The Chronicle of Fredegar’, alleges that the battle was orchestrated by Roman general Aetius. By allying with the Goths, the historian claimed, Aetius hoped to weaken them along with the Huns. The historian also states that Aetius persuaded Attila to retreat in exchange for a bribe. Given that so much about the battle is unsure, this theory is as good as any for explaining why it was inconclusive.

The New World Order conspiracy theory alleges that a secret cabal is conspiring to create a singular, totalitarian world government. Believers often assert that this cabal is behind major world events. It’s certainly much simpler to think so than to accept the complex world of conflicting interests that we see around us. Some proponents of this comparatively modern theory allege that it has ancient roots, contending that the conspirators behind the New World Order were inspired by Plato. The theory suggests that secret organizations like the Illuminati gave Plato’s writings more prominence in academia to spread the proto-totalitarian ideals he espouses in dialogues like The Republic.

Nero is one of Ancient Rome’s most notorious Emperors. He was described as a self-indulgent tyrant by contemporaries, though he was popular with common people for his public performances. When the Great Fire of Rome damaged or destroyed 10 out of its 14 districts, a rumor spread that Nero was responsible. Nero’s construction of an expensive palace on the burned section of the city certainly looked suspicious (and even devalued Rome’s currency). The fact that he was quick to blame and persecute Christians for the fire wasn’t a good look either. It’s possible that Nero wasn’t even in the city when the fire started, but that the theory remains a popular one even today.

According to author Heribert Illig, 297 years of history was completely made up. Illig’s theory, called the “Phantom Time Hypothesis,” posits that the years 614 to 911 AD, and figures like Charlemagne, were fabricated by Holy Roman Emperor Otto III and Pope Sylvester II, with maybe some help from a Byzantine Emperor. The goal of this deception was supposedly to validate Otto’s rule by making the year 1000. His evidence is a supposed lack of archaeological evidence from the period and a dating discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It’s a cool idea…but…it would require fabricating every other culture’s history from the same time period and even altering astronomical events.

When it comes to conspiracy theories, Jesus is a popular subject. One frequent conspiracy claims that the Christian savior was in fact married to one of his followers, Mary Magdalene, and evidence of it was covered up. Although the idea gained prominence with the 1896 discovery of the Gnostic Gospel of Mary, it was popularized in modern times by “The Da Vinci Code,” which theorized that Mary and Jesus had children and that their union was in fact “the Holy Grail.” However, most of the evidence used by conspiracy theorists and Dan Brown’s novel have been repeatedly debunked, and the Gospel of Mary is considered apocryphal.

The assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC is one of the most famous political killings in history. A conspiracy of Roman senators murdered him on the Senate floor. That much isn’t questioned in this theory. But this theory suggests that Caesar went willingly to his death. Proponents argue that Caesar was depressed and tired of living, due to his age (which was advanced for the time) and epilepsy. He had been warned by a soothsayer to beware the Ides of March, and likely knew his life was under threat. So, when the opportunity came, the theory states, he did not fight his attackers. Without knowing what Caesar was thinking, we’ll never know for sure.

Speaking of Caesar, his son is also the subject of a conspiracy theory. This one holds that Caesar’s son with Cleopatra, Ptolemy XV Caesar, or Caesarion, was the historical inspiration for Jesus. Caesarion was proclaimed to be a god, the son of a god, and king of kings, much like Jesus. Cleopatra compared herself and Caesarion to the deities Isis and Horus, and there are startling parallels between the story of Horus and Jesus. The theory holds that Jesus was a Roman invention, amalgamating various mythologies, to build an empire-wide religion. Given Roman persecution of early Christians, this seems pretty counter-intuitive. But, like most conspiracy theories, there is scant chance of it ever being proven one way or the other ...