Rating: 
Summary: A daring book by an African American scholar before his time
Review: I enjoyed this book a great deal because of its fearlessness in challenging what has been long considered the truth. The book would have been rated even higher, but the reading at times is dry due to it having been written so long ago. The author George G. M. James is considered by many to be the father of progressive Afrocentric literature. As a proffessor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff James met plenty of resistance during that time in American history. Unfortunately James was mysteriously found dead a few years after this book was published.
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Summary: African Origins of Greek Thought: From "sb3" to "filosophia"
Review: Forgive us, if we briefly redirect the dicussion of the Stolen Legacy toward that of a more SCIENTIFIC nature namely, comparative history and historical linguistics. James was a professor of Latin and Greek as well as Greek Philosophy, so he was familar with the Greek thought in the language that it was written. He did not know Egyptian however. Nevertheless, to truly critique this work, a true scholar should do just what James did--look at the historical context in which Greek thought was developed, consult actual Greek sources concerning who chronicled the works of the so-called Greek philosphers, and search for the anteriority of the ideas that the Greeks presented. Greek philosphy was born not on the Greek mainland but in Ionia, as we know, with Thales in the 6th century. Bertrand Russel writes, however: "Thales is said to have travelled in Egypt, and to have thence brought to the Greeks the science of geometry. What Egyptians knew of geometry was mainly rules of thumb, and there is no reason to believe that Thales arrived at deductive proofs, such as later Greeks discovered." The Minoans and the Cretians did not philosphize. The Dorians didn't philosophize. From the 12th to the 6th century, Greece was in a state of military turmoil. Moreover, it was a veritable slavocracy--with wealthy landowners holding the rites to the knowledge of patriarchial gods, philosophizing was forbidden 80% of the population (peasants, medics, and slavs). It truly would have been a miracle for the common Greek to philosophize. Egypt created a 2000 years intellectual tradition that all the Greeks acknowledged. For example, Aristotle states that Egypt was the cradle of arts and science; he mentions that the Egyptians were the first men. Diodorus Siculus, Herodotus, Isocrates, Plato, to name a few, recongnized that egyptian knowledge was a the genesis of arts, science, and religion. Indeed the African Eypto-Nubians philosophized on the nature of existence(being), the inhabited world, al! l that is. They developed arts, science, literature, and yes philosophy. James compares the ancient Egyptian corpus of knowledge--the Memphite Theology, and the Eyptian "mysteries"--with the Greek thought. To sum up, very briefly, Greek thought is not anterior to "europe". Egyptian "sba" or learning (mysteries) written by African "sesh" (at Temple of Edfou, Heirokronpolis, Naucratus, Memphis, and so on) is the genesis of knowledge or gnosis in the ancient world. The Ionians inherited this and transmitted to Greece, Greek traveled to Egypt to collect Egyptian learning. This is what James attempts to show this using only the Greek record and its egyptian antecedants. George G. M. James could not have more correct to state that Greek "philsophy" doesn't exist because the word "philosophy" is not Greek. As Theophile Obenga points out (and martin bernal) the word "philsophy" is not a greek word and is not of indo-european origin. Briefly: "philo" or "filo-" meaning "one who loves" has no indo-european root (uncommon:"fil"="beloved") sophia, "-sophos" meaning "ability, general knowing; wise (in modern greek) doesn't have an indo-european root. LINGUISTICALLY, "filosophia" meaning "one who loves knowing" IS NOT GREEK OR INDO-EUROPEAN. Now, "sb3" is and egyptain verb meaning "to learn," from which the noun sbw or "wiseman" derives. the egyptian "b" in greek becomes "ph/f" ex. the egyptian god nbti--->is the greek nephthys. Pardon my greek, but numerous examples of the "b"--->"ph/f". Coptic shows the connection between sb3(egyptian: learning)--->b/ph/f--->sph< sophos (greek: ability,wisdom). James "left" this demonstration to the multivalent scholar Theophile Obenga (see Conceptions of History in the works C.A. Diop and Theophile Obenga i! s available from this site). When we bring the debate over African origins of Greek thought to a scientific terrain we can clearly begin moving our discussion from Egyto-Nubia "sb3" to Greek "philosophia", from hellenomaia to "lessing european cultural arrogance". James' Stolen Legacy is a pioneering work in this respect.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad, even as a joke
Review: If you are looking for a book about what is NOT fact, this is is one of the best books you can find.The author sets out to prove that most of what we know as ancient Greek philosophy instead from Egyptian thought and culture.To justify this he discredits almost all available literary and archaeological sources by invoking a fantastic conspiracy theory whose existence would have required a tacit understanding between hundreds of scholars in dozens of countries throughout thousands of years.Moreover,the book is littered with inconsistencies.For example, given the author's claim that ancient Greek philosophy was stolen from Egypt, and since a great deal of ancient Greek philosophy deals with the question of how best to live in or govern a POLIS (city-state)one is left wondering what reason the Egyptians (who lived in a monarchy) could possibly have for tackling such issues.All in all, the author's theories are so far-fetched that the book becomes pure fiction.Indeed,as a work of fiction it might be considered good,but as a work on history it is not worth the paper it is written on. Some of you may think I'm prejudiced. (possibly because I'm from Greece)If that is the case,please buy this book and laugh for yourselves.
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Summary: I COULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR MORE !!!! Except maybe MORE PAGES
Review: Well, the title of this review really says it all for this book. As one who actively SEEKS THE TRUTH about my African/Egyptian heritage, I KNOW almost instinctively when I hear the truth and when the author is totally off track and I tell you in ALL EARNEST, that THIS BOOK HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD AND DRIVES IT CLEAN THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE!!! This man TRULY knows the story and has no qualms about telling it, and even though book is relating very high ideals and complex theories about not only African/Egyptian history but the Egyptian philosophies behind the creation of the Universe Itself. These are the ORIGINAL/FIRST philosophies about this universe and more than likely.. the CORRECT ones!!! This book has "The Ring Of Truth" to it and should be REQUIRED STUDY in schools across the nation to ascribe BACK to the Africans/African Americans, that which was stolen by the Greeks and Europeans... their HERITAGE, CULTURE, RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHICAL BELIEFS, through the ORIGINAL teachings of the most advanced civilization to have ever existed on this planet... "THE EGYPTIANS". Proof of this is shown in the fact that to this DAY, metaphors the Egyptians wrote back in 7000 BC that dealt with the very NATURE of this reality still have todays modern scientists searching for the meanings. Such as the Egyptian God "Atum, the creator"... We now have The "Atom", which is the "STUFF" from which all things are made. keep in mind that they wrote of this as early as 7000 BC, and we still can't even build ONE pyramid to match theirs w/ all the mazes inside. This book goes into all of this in GREAT DETAIL and does a VERY good job of it!!! I can GUARANTEE that this book will be a "Must Read" for my children when I have them and every black man woman or child w/ a thirst for their TRUE history and heritage should read it also!! BUT ***BEWARE*** THIS BOOK COULD POSE A THREAT TO YOUR IGNORANCE!!
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Summary: this is a great book for it tells us about the great people
Review: who ruled the ancient black land that we once
Rating:
Summary: Horrific
Review: This book is terrible and is based on zero fact and offers zero hard evidence. First of, Egyptians are not and never were, black. They are and always have been a Mediterranean people and were always described as such, especially by Roman writers like Manilius. Herodotus never said the Egyptians were black like Ethiopians, he said the Egyptians were as dark as the Colchians, a race living in Caucasia. He used a Greek word that in that context meant "dark" not "black" as propagated by racist black Afrocentrists who feel their history gives them nothing to be proud of and thus feel the need to steal the history of the Egyptian and Greek and Hebrew peoples. That is the real "stolen legacy". Besides, if Egyptians were black and weere supposedly lighter than Arabs then why did they always portray themselves as lighter than Nubians, why do Egyptian mummies have pure Caucasian characteristics and why do Egyptians have lighter skin and more Caucasian features than Gulf Arabs and Berbers? A real appalling book, GReece and Egypt are two different Mediterranean civilizations that influenced each other, helped each other out, and embraced each other. Afrocentrism is a plague to science and it would do well to drop dead.
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Summary: Egyptians Were Never Black
Review: Egyptians were black? Wasn't this theory squashed over 20 something years ago? Incase some of you didn't know, DNA testing was conducting on several dug up egyptian mummified corpses and tests revealed that the Egyptians had genetic traces of Nordic, Persian, Sumerian, Hittite and Semetic. Didn't you people know this? I'm suprised.
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Summary: Black Sphinx
Review:
Some people claim the ancient Egyptians were not Blacks but "Mediterranean," in complexion, whatever that means.
The Sphinx (Heru-ur/ Horus I) of Egypt clearly depicts the face of a Black. It is because of the great accomplishments of the ancient Egyptians that some people claim they were not Black. The Copts are now very mixed; The Arabs only invaded in 640 A.D. Even the name of ancient Egypt, "Kam," means "Black."
Many many of the best minds of Greece - Pythagoras, Democritus, Plato etc. studied in Egypt. That is an established fact. The knowledge they obtained in Africa served as the basis of European civilization.
I recommend the fascinating book, "Retake Your Fame."
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Summary: Do Egyptologist Support This?
Review: Lets say Mary Lefkowitz has her shortcommings as far as her research and with some of her claims,and people saying that there were no Black Egyptians are wrong also. But to support George G.M James' overall claims, similarites and clear parralles between Egyptian philosophy and mathematics with that of the Greeks would have to be clearly demonstrated. This is where I would think that Egyptologist,even if they are Eurocentric,would still be familiar. So far I don't know of any Egyptologist who have supported James' claims. Also, I would assume that there are other Egyptian experts out there who aren't white or Eurocentric who could easily demonstrate these Egyptian and Greek paralles in philosophy and mathematics. I would think that anyone who has studied Egyptian mathematics for example, would be able to see how Pythogoras' teachings were identicle to what they've seen with Egyptian mathematics if it was really just a carbon copy of the Egyptian's as James says.
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Summary: Black Classical History...African Redemption
Review: Hoi Aiguptoi, we must claim our history and dismiss inaccurate and dishonest racist claims by people who worship themselves. It has been proven time immemorial who the originators of civilization were, and every time great pains are taken to sweep the truth under the rug or to dismiss the truths revealed as insanity or worse, murder those who reveal the truth. This book should be required reading for ALL peoples, particularly people of African descent and should have a place among all scholarly works about Human history. But are WE ready to free our minds of the fantasy lies that have been indoctrinate in us through slavery and oppression?
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