Fake news, conspiracy theories and fabrication are aspects of our society that have been prevalent for centuries. Editor of the Financial Times, Lionel Barber, traced fake news all the way back to ancient Rome, in a 2017 Oxford alumni festival speech: ‘My own fake news item of choice comes from ancient Rome: the dodgy dossier obtained by Octavian used to discredit his imperial rival Mark Antony. Octavian claimed that a document in his possession was Mark Antony’s last will an