Heribert Illig (born 1947) is a German historian and the leading proponent of the so-called "phantom time hypothesis" which asserts that the Dark Ages did not exist and that the approximately 300 years between 614 and 911 are an invention.
Illig was born in Vohenstrauß, Germany.
The basis of Illig's claims is the paucity of archaeological evidence that can be securely dated to this period; perceived inadequacies of radiometric and dendrochronological methods of dating this period, and the over-reliance of medieval historians on written sources. One consequence of Illig's hypothesis is that Charlemagne never existed but is a fictional character.
Because none of Illig's work has been translated his thesis has received little attention in the English-speaking world.
Books by Heribert Illig
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