Of course they can be. But the provenance of Stuart's works is well established. Contemporaries saw both Stewart's portraits and George Washington, so even if the curators of the NGA have been deceived they at least have a copy of a real painting of a real man.
Fomenko's need for Leif Erickson to not exist
I haven't reached this "need" yet in the book. It's common knowledge that the whole idea of Leif Erikson reaching North America before Columbus is thin gruel.
Fomenko's astronomical "evidence" consists of his saying that there's repetition over long periods in the eclipse cycle
This is certainly the conventional wisdom, though I admit to being a skeptic here. The whole uniformity concept is one that I do not accept, so if that's all Fomenko offers I'll be on your side before long. But that isn't the impression I get from the opening pages of his book.
ML/NJ
"It's common knowledge that the whole idea of Leif Erikson reaching North America before Columbus is thin gruel."
uh, no.
L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site of Canada
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows/index_e.asp
"The reconstructions of three Norse buildings are the focal point of this archaeological site..."
Fomenko starts out with the belief that all history is Byzantine / Russian; any artifact (such as the Roman imperial road system, Hadrian's Wall in Britain, coins, the topic I've linked below) has to be either coopted into this hijacking of history, or rejected as not proved, or something more recent that has been misinterpreted by everyone before Fomenko. References to Jesus in Josephus and the Koran, or in fact any kind of surviving writing from the ancient world has to be either placed in more recent times (by Fomenko) or tossed as a forgery.
I've got some pretty wild interests myself, and love to plunge over the edge of the fringe from time to time. But I think you'll see what I mean as you read it. Here's a topic related to Roman rule in Europe.
Bernheze Roman Bronze Hoard from the Netherlands
Minerva: the International Review of Ancient Art and Archaeology
Last Updated: Friday, 9 July, 2004 at 3:10:29pm | Ruurd B. Halbertsma
Posted on 03/23/2005 11:56:02 PM PST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1369464/posts