Greek accounts on Ancient Africa - Part 1

Isn't it ironic that today many Africans wish to study in the West? And many undertaking the perilous crossing of the Sahara desert and Mediterranean sea.

But do you know that thousands of years ago, the reverse was true - Europeans came to Africa to study?

ST. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA known in Latin as Titus Flavius Clemens, a Christian apologist, theologian and someone with a great knowledge of Greek philosophy said that if you were to write a book of 1,000 pages, you would not be able to put down the names of all the Greeks who went to Kemet (Ancient Egypt).

St. Clement

HERODUTUS, the "father of history" visited Kemet during the 5th century and wrote extensively of its greatness and richness: “[Egypt] has a lot of admirable things and what one sees there is superior to any other country.”

Herodutus

THALES was one of the first Greeks to go to Kemet to study mathematics, geometry and philosophy. Thales made it clear to Pythagoras that he had to go to Memphis, Kemet to study. Thales acknowledged that it were the Egyptians that were a veritable source of knowledge and information. After he returned to Greece, Thales became famous by accurately predicting a solar eclipse, demonstrating how to measure the distance of a ship at sea and surprised his contemporaries with his unusual mathematical abilities. He was the founder of the first Greek school of philosophy and science.

Thales

PLATO, philosopher and mathematician, is credited as an essential figure in the development of western philosophy and tradition. He studied at the Temple of Waset (see previous posts) for 11 years. His mentor was Sechnuphis, a priest of Heliopolis (modern Cairo). Plato greatly admired the Kemetic education system that he recommended that it be introduced into Greece.

Plato

ARISTOTLE, studied in Africa for around 13 years. He puts the record straight when he said: "Thus the mathematical sciences first (proton) originated in Egypt." "Egyptians and Ethiopians were very black." He continued by saying Egypt is "the cradle of mathematics-that is, the country of origin for Greek mathematics. The mathematical arts had never before been formed, constituted or elaborated anywhere else originating in Egypt only."

Aristotle

The "father of mathematics," PYTHAGORAS, studied calculus and geometry in Kemet.

Pythagoras

We will be discussing part two of a few Greek accounts about Ancient African education.