An anachronism is a mistake in the order of time. It happens when things from different time periods are placed together in a way that does not match the correct time. For example, this could involve people, events, objects, words, customs, or anything else from one time appearing in another time when they should not. The most common type of anachronism is when an object is found in the wrong time period. However, it can also involve words, technology, ideas, music styles, materials, plants, animals, customs, or anything else from a specific time that appears in a different time.

An anachronism can be done on purpose or by accident. Writers or artists might intentionally include anachronisms in stories or art to help modern audiences better understand or connect with historical events. They might also use anachronisms for reasons like making a point, spreading ideas, creating humor, or surprising people. Accidental anachronisms happen when someone does not know the differences between time periods, such as how technology, language, customs, or fashions changed over time.

Types

The metachronism-prochronism contrast is similar to parachronism-anachronism. It involves postdating (happening later than it should) and predating (happening earlier than it should).

A parachronism comes from the Greek words for "beside" and "time." It refers to something that appears in a time period when it is not usually found. For example, an old piece of technology or an outdated style might be considered parachronistic if it is used in a modern setting.

A prochronism comes from the Greek words for "before" and "time." It describes something that cannot exist in a certain time because it has not yet been created. For example, using a technology that was not invented yet or speaking with a phrase that had not been used yet would be prochronistic.

A metachronism comes from the Greek words for "after" and "time." It involves using older cultural items in modern times in ways that may seem strange or inappropriate. For example, a person in modern times wearing a top hat or writing with a quill might be considered metachronistic.

Politically motivated anachronism

Art and writings that support political, national, or revolutionary goals may use anachronism, which means showing something from the past as if it existed earlier than it did, or mixing up events from different times. For example, the 19th-century Romanian artist Constantin Lecca painted a scene showing the peace agreement between Ioan Bogdan Voievod and Radu Voievod, two leaders from Romania’s 16th-century history. In the background of the painting, the flags of Moldavia (blue and red) and Wallachia (yellow and blue) are visible. These flags were not used until the 1830s. The painting uses this mix of time periods to support the idea that Moldavia and Wallachia should unite to form the Kingdom of Romania, which was important when the painting was created.

Art and literature

Anachronism is often found in creative works based on real history. These errors can happen in many ways, such as not considering how people lived or thought in different times, or not knowing how arts, sciences, and other historical facts changed over time. Anachronisms can be very obvious or very hard to notice. They might happen because of not knowing enough, or they might be a purposeful choice to make a story more interesting.

Sir Walter Scott believed that using anachronism in historical stories could help make them more engaging. He said that to interest readers, stories should use the customs and language of the time people live in today. However, as time passes, using anachronisms to connect with audiences can sometimes backfire. Details that were meant to feel familiar might instead remind people of the time when the story was created, not the historical time it is trying to show. Anthony Grafton wrote, "Nothing becomes outdated as quickly as a modern view of an older time." For example, in a 1940s movie, a mother calling out "Ludwig! Ludwig van Beethoven! Come in and practice your piano now!" might make viewers feel confused instead of believing the story.

Since the early 1800s, anachronisms in historical stories have started to bother audiences more. C.S. Lewis wrote that medieval stories often ignored the differences between past and present times. People in the Middle Ages imagined the past as if it were their own time. The same happened with Elizabethans and even with Milton, who thought people in ancient times would eat the same food as he did. It is unlikely that people understood the differences between times before the 1800s. For example, in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, the customs, battles, and even traffic rules of the Trojans match the 14th century, not an earlier time.

Anachronisms appear in the works of artists like Raphael and writers like Shakespeare, as well as in other older works. Carol Meyers suggests that anachronisms in ancient texts can help explain stories by showing what the errors represent. Over time, repeated anachronisms and mistakes can become accepted in popular culture, such as the belief that Roman soldiers wore leather armor.

Comedy stories set in the past sometimes use anachronisms for humor. These errors can also highlight differences between past and present societies, such as comparing old and modern political or social rules.

Even with careful research, science fiction writers may accidentally include anachronisms as their stories grow older. This happens because they cannot predict all future changes in politics, society, or technology.

For example, many stories set in the mid-21st century or later mention the Soviet Union, refer to Saint Petersburg as Leningrad, or include divided Germany and Berlin. The Star Trek series has had anachronisms in its future settings, and the 2009 movie kept these errors to match older versions of the story.

Buildings or natural landmarks, like the World Trade Center in New York City, can become anachronisms once they no longer exist. Some stories have been changed to remove these landmarks to avoid confusion.

Futuristic technology might appear alongside older tools that would no longer be used by the time the story is set. For example, in Robert A. Heinlein’s stories, space travel between planets happens at the same time as people use slide rules for calculations.

Anachronisms in language are common in books and films, whether done on purpose or by mistake. Intentional anachronisms can help audiences understand a story set in the past. Language and speech change so quickly that most people today would struggle to understand a film using 15th-century English. Because of this, characters in historical films often speak in modern language, using current slang and expressions.

Unconscious anachronism

Unintentional errors about time periods can happen even in records meant to be accurate, because people who record history are influenced by the customs and beliefs of their own time. An example is when English historians in the late 1500s and early 1600s added beards to medieval tomb statues and stained glass figures. Beards were common in their time, so they unknowingly thought people in the medieval period had beards, even though they were rare back then.

In academia

In historical writing, the most common type of anachronism happens when people use the political, social, or cultural ideas from one time period to explain or judge events from a different time. Using today’s ideas to evaluate the past is sometimes called presentism. Historians who follow the methods started by Leopold von Ranke in the 1800s believe this is a serious mistake that should be avoided. Arthur Marwick said that understanding how past societies were very different from ours is a key skill for historians. He also said that anachronism is a clear mistake when people who are not trained in history try to study the past.

Detection of forgery

Identifying anachronisms can help experts find evidence that shows a document or artifact is fake. For example, Anthony Grafton wrote about scholars like Porphyry, a 3rd-century philosopher, Isaac Casaubon (1559–1614), and Richard Reitzenstein (1861–1931). These scholars used methods such as finding anachronisms to prove that some writings were forgeries or copied from other works, like those in the "Hermetic Corpus."

Studying the style and language of documents is an important part of the field called diplomatics. This area of study was developed by Jean Mabillon (1632–1707), a Maurist scholar, and later by his followers René-Prosper Tassin (1697–1777) and Charles-François Toustain (1700–1754).

In the early 1800s, philosopher and reformer Jeremy Bentham wrote:

"A writing may be proven false if it directly mentions or hints at events that happened after the date it claims to be from. This is the first sign of forgery. In living languages, words, their meanings, sentence structures, and spelling change over time. These changes can help determine a writing's age and raise doubts about whether it is genuine. Using words that did not exist until after the writing's date is the second sign of forgery."