pseudohistorians
Fake history peddlers
Pseudohistorians are people who present claims about the past that lack scholarly rigor or contradict established evidence.
They often promote fringe theories—ancient aliens built the pyramids, lost civilizations possessed advanced technology—while ignoring or misrepresenting the historical record.
The term is dismissive, used by academics and critics to distinguish amateur speculation from legitimate historical research: The documentary featured pseudohistorians making wild claims about Atlantis.
Believers in hidden plots
- AtlantisMythical sunken island
- lost civilizationsDefunct ancient cultures
- hidden knowledgeInformation deliberately kept concealed
- revisionismReexamining established doctrine
debunked · crackpot · fringe theories · sensationalism · pyramids · extraterrestrials · coverup · speculative
Choosing only supporting examples
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- anachronismHistorical time-placement error
- falsificationDeliberate alteration of truth
logical fallacies · confirmation bias · misquotation · distortion · primary sources · peer review · academic standards · footnotes
Rejection of established facts
- revisionistOne who alters accepted narratives
- propagandaBiased information for influence
- nationalismDevotion to one's country
- ethnocentrismBelief one's culture superior
ideological · Lost Cause · whitewashing · mythmaking · identity politics · cultural appropriation · Afrocentrism · blood libel
Those who doubt claims
- fact-checkersThose who confirm accuracy
- academicsProfessional researchers and teachers
- peer reviewExpert evaluation before publication
- refutationDisproving a statement
criticism · expose · discredit · rebuttal · correction · Snopes · archaeological evidence · scientific method
conspiracy theorists
Believers in hidden plots
- AtlantisMythical sunken island
- lost civilizationsDefunct ancient cultures
- hidden knowledgeInformation deliberately kept concealed
revisionism · debunked · crackpot · fringe theories · sensationalism · pyramids · extraterrestrials · coverup · speculative · unsubstantiated
cherry-picking
Choosing only supporting examples
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- anachronismHistorical time-placement error
falsification · logical fallacies · confirmation bias · misquotation · distortion · primary sources · peer review · academic standards · footnotes · citations
denialism
Rejection of established facts
- revisionistOne who alters accepted narratives
- propagandaBiased information for influence
- nationalismDevotion to one's country
ethnocentrism · ideological · Lost Cause · whitewashing · mythmaking · identity politics · cultural appropriation · Afrocentrism · blood libel · genocide denial
skeptics
Those who doubt claims
- fact-checkersThose who confirm accuracy
- academicsProfessional researchers and teachers
- peer reviewExpert evaluation before publication
refutation · criticism · expose · discredit · rebuttal · correction · Snopes · archaeological evidence · scientific method · carbon dating
pseudohistorianshistorians
Scholars of the past
scholars · archivists · historiographers · classicists · medievalists
pseudo, historian, historians, history, histories, historic, historical, historically, prehistoric