However, the argument was difficult to maintain, and even the myth of Atlantis was called into play to try and salvage the problematic situation: if Atlantis had existed, it would have been a “white race”, and it was this “white race” that had settled into Egypt and had given the native black people its civilisation, its culture and its philosophy. Questions in Egyptology? 12 Ancient History‎ > ‎12 AH Vesuvius‎ > ‎ Greek and Egyptian Cultures. Your email address will not be published. The number one (the monad) represented the origin of all things and the number two (the dyad) represented matter. Ancient Greece, one of the ancient civilizations in the world. Thales stated this at a time when he himself was Greece’s most famous and applauded philosopher, even though it would be his protégé Pythagoras who is currently best remembered as the “first philosopher”. The fact that both … Conclusion. Greek influence on Roman culture is clear in areas such as religion, art and architecture, literature and philosophy. And Greece does lie “behind the islands” of the Aegean Sea, when viewed from Egypt. It was simply impossible…. Introduction The history of Western civilization was influenced by the Ancient Greece in more than a few ways, for instance, they inspired various achievements that shaped the early foundation of civilization in the west, and other parts of the world. Ancient Greek colonization began at an early date, during the so-called Geometric period of about 900 to 700 B.C. Herodotus was duly given the reputation of being a “liar” – a worse fate than Plato suffered, who is only labelled as having “imagined an ideal world” when he spoke of Atlantis. On the one hand, the ancient Greeks had no doubt that they were 'one people'; they had the same religion, same basic culture… Several Egyptian pharaohs claimed ownership over “Haunebut”, which means “Behind the Islands.” The Greek portion of the Rosetta Stone text clearly translates the phrase Haunebu – meaning “the people of Haunebut” – as Greek or Hellene. Other notable Greeks in Egypt during the Ottoman period included Damat Hasan Pasha from the Morea, a governor of Egypt. Unlike other societies that were religiously based however, Greece was a centre of learning and culture. Egyptians also worked out efficient ways of performing multiplication and division. This influence can be seen quite clearly in the art and architecture in the surviving remains of the cities of Vesuvius. Diodorus Siculus wrote that Kekrops originated from Egypt and founded Athens as a colony of the Egyptian town of Sais. [These two families] are the only Greeks who swear to Isis and they resemble both facially and in mannerisms the Egyptians.”, Martin Bernal adds that Neith was written as “Ht” in Egyptian. Now, put everything back in the mystery box. They argued that the Greeks wanted to make their philosophy appear to be much older than it actually was. Dodona Still, it is said that the Mysteries of Demeter in Eleusis were also of Egyptian origin. They believed that all things were made of numbers. The Greek city of Thebes was founded by two brothers, Amphion and Zethos. Wikimedia: Nut forming the arc of the heavens, Shu supported by Khumn in the centre, and Geb in a prone position lying on the Earth. Greek culture influenced the development of Roman civilization because at first Rome absorbed ideas from Greek colonists in southern Italy, and they continued to borrow from Greek culture after they conquered Greece. Did the ancient Egyptians Have a Religion? On the topic of the grain silos, Marinatos stated that they greatly resembled Egyptian silos. 200 AD, wrote that the inhabitants of Sais referred to their town as “Athenai”. by Philip Coppens. This was a situation unlike that in most other contemporary societies, which were either tribal, or kingdoms ruling over relatively large territories. While we have various ways to perform such calculations, Egyptians … Some of these developments arose during renaissance and industrial revolution, and impacted on various aspects of the modern world including philosophy, … This concept was unknown in Greece, where it was believed that death signalled the end; only an “underworld” lay behind the veil of death. Online Rune readings by Eye Of the Psychic - Free and always will be! 11.2 "Influences on public architecture and religion" p.173. Politics. It were largely white scholars who would do anything to make sure that blacks would find no place in history… after all, it could lead to serious social consequences. The ancient Greeks had a strong cultural influence on the Roman Empire, though the Romans did manage to take this influence and make it into something all their own. On his travels in Egypt, the priests told him that two priestesses were abducted by the Phoenicians. It was how Plato learned the fable of Thoth and Amun, which he wrote down in Phaedros. The first to develop the concept of aesthetic beauty, ancient Greeks created spectacular sculptures that have inspired artists from the Renaissance until today. Despite its clearly Egyptian source, many “scholars” interpreted that treatise as a “typically Greek” text. On the other hand however, religion also gave Greek women hope and influence, with some of the most influential deities being female, as evidenced by Athena, Hera and Artemis. - Julia Herdman Books. Greek culture influenced the Roman Empire and many other civilizations, and it continues to influence modern cultures today. The ancient Greeks were masters at picking up ideas from other cultures, mixing these with their own innovations and producing unique contributions to world culture. They were claimed to be the sons of Zeus, with a mortal, known as Antiope. Architecture. After all, was it not known that all myths and legends were not based in reality, but in flights of fancy? For Pompeii in particular, a massive temple dedicated to the goddess Isis. The seked is at the base of problems 56, 57, 58, 59 and 60 of the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus which dates to the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt. He also discovered a vaulted tunnel that ran in several directions. Greek Civilization. It is said that he measured the height of the pyramids by their shadows at the moment when his own shadow was equal to his height. Questions in Egyptology? This means that even in Sais, the ancient goddess Neith was addressed as “Athanait”, with the Greeks later chosing to call the “nait” ending for Neith, rather than the “Athan” for “Athena”. Ancient Greece consisted of several hundred more-or-less independent city states (poleis). After all, the Arab race is now the predominant race in Egypt (specifically in the north), and references such as “our ancestors” often imply that the ancient Egyptians were Arabs. The answer is clear: whereas the ancient Greeks were completely comfortable with their inheritance of the Egyptian philosophy, modern scholars were not. We do know, using the Greeks and many other examples from ancient history, that geography has a huge influence on how things turn out. Ten was regarded as the “perfect number” and the Pythagoreans honoured it by never gathering in groups larger than ten. It contained jewellery, including four golden hangers in the shape of lilies… a typically Egyptian motif. This has resulted in almost hilarious debates as to how the ancient Egyptians could not possibly be African – or a more general attitude that seems to prevail today, which leaves their racial identity unspecified. How do scholars approach this conundrum? Moon is traveling through Aquarius today. In 1971, Greek archaeologist Theodore Spyropoulos began his dig on the Amphion hill, which was the legendary burial place of the twins. It were the Egyptians who believed that death was only a passing, the soul continuing to exist beyond that event. Pythagoras did not plagiarized any theorist in Egypt. Two Greek families, the Eumolpidae and the Ceryces, were said to descend from Egyptian priests. The god Shu was the god of space or emptiness who held the bubble of air that contained the Earth in the ancient Egyptian cosmology. Long before the rule of the Ptolemies in Egypt, the Greco-Egyptian cultural link had been underwritten by economic ties, in which Greeks became gastarbeiter (“guest workers” as the Germans say) of the later pharaohs. Further research showed that the tomb dated back to 2900-2400 BC, placing this Greek discovery as a veritable anomaly: there was no Greek civilisation at this time… though there was already an Egyptian civilisation. The Symbolism of the Tarot: The Minor Arcana, The Symbolism of the Tarot: The Major Arcana, My Reading with Kristine from Psychic Source – Review, Get the best Psychic Reading Ever – Best Psychics I’ve Reviewed, The Cathars: the struggle for and of a new Church, The Strange Stone Discs of Baian-Kara-Ula, William Blake: What paintings of visions come. They were traced back to Erechteus, who was said to have created the Mysteries at Eleusis as a copy of the Mysteries of Isis and Osiris. One of the many fields in which ancient Greece has had a deep influence is art. Years afterwards, Strabo would travel through Egypt. Though geographically both countries are close to each other, and whereas many Greeks would later travel to Egypt, it is assumed that the Egyptians, a civilisation that predates the Greek civilisation by two millennia, never used that time to sail in the opposite direction. This evidence is huge from an alchemical view since there was so much symbolism found in ancient Egypt, yet there are many readings in Greek. The same veil of ignorance is maintained when it comes to philosophy. The number three was an “ideal number” because it had a beginning, middle, and end and was the smallest number of points that could be used to define a plane triangle, which they revered as a symbol of the god Apollo. I have read about magical practices that were performed in Alexandria especially by an alchemist known as Cleopatra, although not the royal one. Furthermore, Greek mythology was a major source of inspiration for many European painters, which depicts the many tales and myths in their works. The goddess Athena was in truth the Egyptian Neith, matron of the city of Sais. The lives that they led, their belief system, and even the way they created buildings have left lasting impressions that can still be seen today. The length of the pyramid’s shadow measured from the centre of the pyramid at that moment must have been equal to its height. This situation is now slowly beginning to change, though the chasm between the Greek and Egyptian culture remains. Undoubtedly the geography of Greece—divided and sub-divided by hills, mountains and rivers—contributed to the fragmentary nature of ancient Greece. Pop culture is steeped in images of smoky-eyed pharaohs and their queens. The logical conclusion that the Greek land was used as a supply of grain that was exported to Egypt was “of course” impossible, for we all “know” that Greece’s cultural development was completely independent of anything that happened anywhere else in the world… This article originally appeared in Frontier Magazine 5.3 (May-June 1999) and has been slightly adapted. Though the ancient Egyptians … The Pythagoreans regarded the tetractys as a symbol of utmost mystical importance. The Pythagorean Mystery Numbers are not exactly what the Egyptians were up to but the Pythagoreans got the idea of modelling the universe with numbers from the Egyptians and we will show how they did it in our upcoming book which has the working title, ‘The Numbers of Thoth’ by Julia and Martin Herdman. There was cross-fertilization. It was at this time that scholars began to awaken to the realisation that the Egyptians possessed a powerful culture; it was at this time that Greece was identified as the cradle of western civilisation. Introduction. Your email address will not be published. Ancient Egyptian art and architecture influence design choices of today, but contemporary designs achieve a modern feel with upgraded material and different textures. Who created the “veil of ignorance” that guards over the separation of ancient Greece and Egypt as a scientific Iron Curtain? Thales added that it were the Egyptian priests that were a veritable source of knowledge and information. Introduction. They believed that odd numbers were masculine, that even numbers were feminine, and that the number five represented marriage because it was the sum of two and three. Metalwork, gem cutting and ivory carving emerged as a result of Egyptian modeling. It is later revealed to be a test by the evil magician Setne of his new hybrid Greek-Egyptian magic and of the responses of the demigods and magicians. In a single year, he claimed to have collected 36,692 deben of gold from his conquered subjects – the equivalent of three metric tons – of which 27,000 kilos is specifically said to have come from the Asian provinces and the Isles in the Midst of the Great Green Sea (the Greek islands). Ancient China. It was not the first archaeological discovery that showed such evidence. Until a few decades ago, many schools did not mention the cultural achievements of Egypt or Sumer – and many schools in Europe still pay no attention to the Inca’s, Toltecs, etc. Thales of Milete Iamblichus wrote that Thales of Milete had to make it clear to Pythagoras that the latter had to go to Memphis, in Egypt, to study. For this reason, Classical Greece is generally considered Ancient Egypt. He soon discovered a stone chamber, deep within the funerary mound. Try a Rune Reading and tell us what you think! Identify the region and what is grown or produced that makes that type of agriculture unique. Required fields are marked *, © 2021. Greek myths take the evidence further. Flinders Petrie was the first to notice that the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Giza was based on a 3–4–5 pyramid, built c. 2,500 BCE. This is another reason Egyptian cosmology has not been understood. The ancient Persian and Greek cultures did not exist in isolation. One of these victims was said to have founded the sanctuary of Dodona. For many, ancient Greece is considered to be the cradle of Western civilization. ἄπαντα γὰρ χωρεῖ.) Though geographically both countries are close to each other, and whereas many Greeks would later travel to Egypt, it is assumed that the Egyptians, a civilisation that predates the Greek civilisation by two millennia, never used that time to sail in the opposite direction. 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