Responding to an outdated mythicist claim #maklelan2923 youtube.com/shorts/4gm8Q...

I recently had the privilege of talking with Tim O'Neill for his show, History for Atheists, and the episode is out now. You can check it out here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7kS...

Just uploaded to the History for Atheists channel, my conversation with Dr Dan McClellan @maklelan.bsky.social on the Hebrew Bible, its texts, contexts and misconceptions. www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7kS...

Help make it happen - help raise the speaker's fee so Bart Ehrman can appear on History for Atheists on @indiegogo Help make it happen - help raise the speaker's fee so Bart Ehrman can appear on History for Atheists on @indiegogo

New on History for Atheists: The Great Myths 16 - The Conflict Between Science and Religion. If there is a foundational myth that underpins a great deal of anti-theist bad history, it's the notorious Conflict Thesis. historyforatheists.com/2025/08/the-...

My next interview on the History for Atheists channel will be with Dr Dan McClellan ‪@maklelan.bsky.social‬ on things atheists get wrong about the Hebrew Bible/OT, early Jewish beliefs, the history of ancient Israel etc. What would you like me to ask Dan about?

Just uploaded to the History for Atheists channel, my interview with @ProfTCSchmidt on his new book *Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ* (Oxford, 2025) www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L2b...

Addendum: After my critique of his video (supposedly) on Tom Holland's *Dominion*. Stephen Woodford/@rationalityrules.bsky.social has copped a lot of flak in his comments and has posted some (weak) excuses and then delisted the video. ... historyforatheists.com/2025/05/rati...

“The Renaissance” was actually medieval. As I’ve been telling people for years.

New on History for Atheists - Stephen Woodford aka "Rationality Rules" (@RationalityRule) takes aim at Tom Holland's *Dominion* and ... shoots himself in the foot. historyforatheists.com/2025/05/rati...

Just uploaded to the History for Atheists video channel, my interview with Dr Ada Palmer on her very entertaining book *Inventing the Renaissance: Myths of a Golden Age*. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq1k...

In case anyone is wondering, my account on X has been locked or suspended. Why? Who knows. Which is it? Who knows. Will I get it back? Who knows. What's going on? Who knows.

"In this engaging, bewitching, and eminently readable doorstop of a book, Palmer invites us to reconsider the Renaissance...” @kaydaly.bsky.social's review of “Inventing the Renaissance” by Ada Palmer is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2025/03/25/i...

Just posted to HIstory for Atheists: "Did the Pope Apologise to Galileo?" historyforatheists.com/2025/03/gali...

This week on the blog, I court controversy by suggesting that our understanding of history has in fact improved over the decades #history #academia salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2025/03/20/n...

Oh dear. Well, I suppose it's been eight years since Catherine Nixey's *The Darkening Age* peddled a highly selective Gibbonian narrative about Christianity causing "the Dark Ages, so it was inevitable we get another such book. @profaliceroberts.bsky.social is well qualified in medicine, ...

Just uploaded to the History for Atheists video channel, my interview with Dr Nathan Johnstone on his book *The New Atheism, Myth and History* and bad anti-theistic historiography. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X5b...

No sensible person would get their history from the BBC drama *Rogue Heroes*, which tells a slightly fanciful, "boys own adventure" version of the beginnings of the SAS in WWII. The show itself warns in its credits that it isn't really history. But its depiction of a Nazi flag...

Tyndale was not executed for translating the Bible #maklelan2489 youtu.be/JWjBNB7lDoY

Useful meme.

It is accomplished! I have finally completed my long, detailed and fully referenced article on the various claims about "pagan origins" Christmas. It's a long one - nearly 12,000 words. historyforatheists.com/2024/12/paga...

The Christmas season is well and truly upon us, so watch out for some very iffy history floating about. It is better to pre-bunk than debunk, so here is one: The cult of Mithras has nothing to do with the origins of Christmas! www.badancient.com/claims/jesus...

The Middle Ages were a plunge into the superstitious after the rational culture of Antiquity! Romans: So hear me out, have you tried asking chickens what to do?

Ugh. Judging from the first photos of the upcoming BBC "historical [sic!] drama, *King and Conquerer*":, the budget didn't extend to a historical consultant who could tell them what 11th century clothing and armour looked like. It seems old *Game of Thrones* gear was used instead. So, as usual,...

Was happy to talk to @jasonaw.bsky.social for this about how wrong (and far right) Hegseth is on the Crusades #medievalsky www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024...

Okay, let's see if we can have a calm, reasonable conversation about anachronistic "diverse casting" in historical dramas, using the new season of *Wolf Hall* as an exemplar. In the interest of everyone staying calm and reasonable, please note the key word above is "anachronistic". I am very ...

This was one review I was waiting for. And it confirms my impressions of this latest "historical" epic by a director who clearly hates history. I'll give it a miss, I think.

The idea that the "real" cause of the 1633 trial of Galileo was that "he was a huge dick to the Pope" is not the most egregious myth about the Galileo Affair, but it's still essentially wrong. The frustrating thing is that it's almost right and is often argued as a counter to other, more common ...

It’s not even December, and yet already the “Pagan Christmas” fakelore begins!

It's rare for me to have to correct overly *positive* claims about the Middle Ages - usually I have to deal with the old "Dark Ages" myths. This meme gets some things right, overstates others and goes a bit bonkers on a few more. Taking each claim in turn: 1. True. At least, far more common than ...

The brilliant historian of astronomy Michael Korey was in Cambridge this week. He reminded me about the amazing app "Behind the Stars", which teaches how 4 beautiful astronomical instruments work. Give it a try! Available in English/German on App Store / Google Play: play.google.com/store/apps/d...

I like the fact that the article below begins with one of my history nerd pet hates - those bloody bracers that every production of anything vaguely "Roman" always includes. It seems to be some kind of iron law that you can't depict ancient Rome without them. ... www.theguardian.com/film/2024/no...

Many people have strong views about the Great Library of Alexandria, and they let these be known on social media. This is despite the fact what they think they know about this subject is lagely garbage. No, it was not the sole repository of ancient knowledge. No, it was not as large as pop ...

Hello to all my new followers. I'm still working out how I'll use this forum, since there seems to be a lot less bad history to be debyunked here (so far). For those who aren't aware, I use my social media to debunk myths about ancient and medieval history, with a particular focus on bad history ...

Just uploaded to the History for Atheists video channel, my interview with Dr David M. Perry (@Lollardfish), co-author of *The Bright Ages*, on why the Medieval Period was not a "dark age" www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBC1...

Just posted to History for Atheists, a new and much needed addition to the Great Myths series: "Great Myths 15: What about the 'Dark Ages'?" historyforatheists.com/2024/09/the-...

New book review on History for Atheists - this time on Catherine Nixey's new book *Heresy - Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God*: historyforatheists.com/2024/05/revi...

A new book review on History for Atheists - Alec Ryrie's *Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt* (2019) usefully questions the accepted historical narrative of how modern unbelief arose. historyforatheists.com/2023/12/revi...

It's Halloween, so tis one of the three seasons for endless "pagan origins" pseudo historical crap. So for those who want to understand why Halloween is actually not-very-pagan-in-origin-at-all, here's my article on the actual history: historyforatheists.com/2021/10/is-h...

The latest article on History for Atheists: a detailed analysis of the closing of the Athenian Academy and its attendant myths. historyforatheists.com/2023/08/the-...