African contributions to western civilization revealed: The Greek Miracle

African contributions to western civilization revealed: The Greek Miracle

The Greek Miracle" is a defining period in the development of Europe and Western civilization.  The African diaspora should be aware of this period in history because the system that is known as white supremacy and racism use it as the example of superior European thought and ingenuity. In this article you will learn what the Greek Miracle is and the reason that spurred it.

The thought process that evolved from the Greek Miracle that is still the basis of scientific thought today is actually the failure of the Greeks to truly grasp, from its teachers, the totality of human consciousness.

One of the biggest mistakes that many of us of the African diaspora make when reviewing historical information is to assume that racism was as much a part of antiquity as it is in the present day.

This is just not true. Racism as we know it today didn’t begin until the African slave trade was in full swing in the early 1600’s. There needed to be justification for keeping other human beings in bondage against their will.

Ancients were nationalist, not racist

What did exist was a form of nationalism. Meaning people did recognize their nations and countries based on where they were from but not necessarily by race.

They did notice racial differences but did not attach ideas of one being superior to the other as it is done today. Kind of like looking at black  Ford Mustang and a white Ford Mustangs and admiring the color but realizing they are both the same car underneath the hood and paint job.

The ancient Greeks are looked on today as the originators of European and Western rational thought and speculative philosophy. It is based on left-brained logical processes.

The rational thought process dismisses the idea of intuition as a form of input which is right brained and creative processes. This is the downfall of modern science. The materialist view of modern science doesn't even recognize metaphysical input. They believe the brain produces all physical phenomenon.

Where did the Greek ideas originate?

But unlike today there was no issue among Greek historians and philosophers of giving credit to the ancient Africans in Egypt as to the origin of their education in science, philosophy, theology, and medicine, just to name a few.

The Greeks were relative barbarians when compared to the ancient Egyptians. They heard of the Egyptians by way of the middle east and Asia. It was a relatively short sail over the Mediterranean Sea into northern Egypt for the Greeks.

Europe and Greece in proximity to Egypt

The Greek knowledge and civilization came practically out of nowhere compared to other European civilizations. Italy the home of Rome and Christianity came after they conquered the Greeks and copied their knowledge and processes.

The rapid rise of Greek knowledge was so astounding that it is referred to as "the Greek miracle" by historians today.

What is the Greek miracle?

"The Greek miracle refers to the emergence of what is considered the first philosophers. This movement upon revision from historians is seen as a miracle from mythical thought of divine power to a more rational approach. Although it is contested this event appeared to be localized in Greece and was not seen anywhere else prior in the world and is so called the Greek miracle." - Ask.com

In other words, the rapid rise of Greece, according to European historians, had never happened anywhere else in the world. There was no European system of philosophy, theology, mathematics, or science to speak of until the Greeks brought them to Europe.

The Greek miracle is no more than them taking knowledge they learned from Egypt and putting their spin on it. Because they couldn't quite grasp the intuitive and creative thought processes in African symbolism and myth they simply dismissed it and relegated it to an unimportant factor in life experience.

It is a fact Africans in America are some of the most religious people in the country.  Religion, often mistaken for spirituality, has components of it that are deeply subjective and intuitive. Even today a complete dependence on rational thinking is not what the African diaspora do. We have always been a creative and intuitive people.

The Greek historians in ancient times had no issue with expressing the fact that their teachers were from Egypt. It is only the advent of Egyptology at the height of the African slave trade that this information was left out of much of the research. But, with the advent of the internet we all have a means to discover the truth.

Greek Historian Herodotus was one of the earliest Greeks to recognize that the Greeks got their knowledge of the astronomy, calendars, theology, mathematics etc. from Egypt.

Greeks Trained in Egypt (click cover to purchase book)

In his book called “Histories 2” chapter 45, Herodotus (ca, 484 -425 BCE) states that the story the Greeks told of Hercules coming to Egypt was no more than a lie. The parents of Hercules are from Egypt, according to the Hellenistic Greeks! Herodotus says he is suspicious of the idea that the Egyptians Got the name of their Gods from Greece and that it was the other way around. Greece copied their gods from Egypt.

Greek historian Herodotus

Plutarch (ca. 45 – 120 CE) a Platonist philosopher from Greece Likewise traces all the Pythagorean symbols back to Egyptian origin and with Diodorus repeats that all the Greek Sages – Solon, Thales, Lycurgos, Pathagoras, And Exudos – had visited Egypt and been in contact with the priest (Isis and Osiris, 10)

Diodoros of Sicily, a greek born in Italy, (i.98)(90 BCE – 30 BCE) affirms that the Egyptian priests relate that Orpheus, Musaeus, Homer, Lycurgos, Solon, and others came to be instructed by them, as well as Pathagoras, Plato, Eudoxos, Democritos, and Oenopides of Chios… All studied in Egypt.

Diodorus of Sicily

So the knowledge of where the Greeks got their knowledge was well known in antiquity. It is only within the last 500 years and that this information has been looked over and/or dismissed.

Why is this important to know?

If you are a member of the African diaspora, you must begin to gain the knowledge that Africans had a Huge impact on the western world. It is important for Africans in America to understand that our history goes back further than the beginning of slavery in the Americas.

It should become a source of pride connected to tangible knowledge. This will begin to lift the self-image of a people that is maligned around the world.

It’s important to understand that the ancient Africans were responsible for the Greek Miracle and the advent of all scientific, philosophical, theological, and astronomical, knowledge in the west. Now, I’m not naïve enough to think that none of that knowledge came through the Babylonians and the Sumerians via diffusion. But, the Greeks knew to go back to the source of that knowledge, which was Egypt.

Click cover to purchase book

The other important aspect to realize is that many nations beat a path to the doorstep of Ancient Egypt. It wasn’t only for slaves and resources, but for knowledge that was highly sought after. We can get so stuck on racism and the knowledge that was “stolen” and who stole it that we don’t even find out what the knowledge was that was so valuable that everyone in antiquity wanted it!

What was stolen?

What was stolen was a paradigm of thought that no other nation has ever been able to duplicate. It empowered its people mind, body, and soul. Unlike systems that the African diaspora has incorporated in modern times.

The Greeks couldn’t understand it all and the Romans taking from the Greeks understood even less. The Persians occupied Egypt for many years as well.

Through the advent of Islam, the knowledge of ancient Egypt was taken to Europe in later years through Spain. The Moors occupied Spain for over 700 years and started some of the most sought-after universities in the world.

Moors in Spain

The moors were Africans.

Columbus, Copernicus, Joannes Kepler and later Sir Isaac Newton all partook in this knowledge and claimed “discoveries” that was already a part of an ancient Egyptian knowledge base. Much of this knowledge was a part of the continent of Africa. Egypt learned it from interior Africa and developed further.

It was only after the advent of the African slave’s trade that the connection to African knowledge was severed in order to promote the idea of sub-humans with no intelligence and no soul. A connection to a magnificent people that is the mother of knowledge of western civilization was whitewashed.

It must be understood that even though the system of racism and white supremacy has afforded many whites advantages that POC have not had access to, ALL whites don't want to keep the imbalance. Yes, there are many that are wanting to hang on to the "good ole days" as in "make America great." However, many are attempting to set the record straight and work to change the system.

But whether there are allies or not, members of the African diaspora, it's time to “Know thyself.” When we change the way we see ourselves the world will change. There is much to be proud of from our ancestors. They left us knowledge on the walls and temples for when we would need it most. The time is now!

If you are interested in the knowledge that was stolen from ancient African, a great resource is the book "Stolen Legacy" by George G. M. James.