A Guide to the Phantom Dark Age

by Emmet Scott

Scott confronts conventional historians and looks at the evidence, archaeological and textual, for the proposition that three centuries, roughly between 615 and 915, never existed and are "phantom" years. The author shows in detail how no archaeology exists for these three centuries, and that the material remains of the seventh century closely resemble those of the tenth, and lie directly beneath them. This is the first book on this topic in the English language, though Heribert Illig's books on the same topic, 'Das erfundene Mittelalter' and 'Wer hat an der Uhr Gedreht?' Have been best sellers in German-speaking Europe.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

190 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2014

Reviews

[Tony Gualtieri]

The theory is compelling, but the explication leads to some unpleasant Islamophobia in this book that doesn't seem entirely necessary. The chronology also ignores Chinese and East Asian history, which give extensive evidence in favor of the existence of these "phantom centuries," along issues with dating eclipses beyond those covered in the text.

There are some puzzling aspects to the period covered by the 7th-9th centuries, such as the paucity of artifacts and architecture in Europe and the Near East as well as the static character of the era. For this, I think it's worth a read. The evidence is fascinating, but the conclusion is unproven.

[Dan]

More scholarly than I initially thought, Scott's book is an easy yet detailed rundown of the Phantom Dark Age theory as presented by Illig. While this theory is gaining traction, there are not many credible, or English-based, sources to look to, and that is where this book comes in. Must read.

[K.]

I'm giving this 5 stars simply because very few people would have the fortitude to seriously set forth such a radical hypothesis, and even fewer would be able to do so in a remotely compelling way. 'i didn't end up buying it, but read it if you want to have your world of possibilities expanded.

[Book Hoarding Dragon]

Oh my... This makes me want to ask so many questions...