Stolen Legacy [Paperback]

George G. M. James (Author), Molefi Kete Asante (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2002

Challenging the notion that civilization started in Greece, this uncompromising classic attempts to prove that the true authors of Greek philosophy were not Greeks but Egyptians. The text asserts that the praise and honor blindly given to the Greeks for centuries rightfully belong to the people of Africa, and argues that the theft of this great African legacy led to the erroneous world opinion that the African continent has made no contribution to civilization. Quoting such celebrated Greek scholars as Herodotus, Hippocrates, Aristotle, Thales, and Pythagoras, who admit to the influence of Egyptian studies in their work, this edition sheds new light on traditional philosophical and historical thought. Originally published in 1954, this book features a new introduction.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"excellent book" -- roxanne warner

"great book" -- luther warner --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

The book is an attempt to show that the true authors of Greek philosophy were not the Greeks, but the people of North Africa, commonly called the Egyptians; and the praise and honor falsely given to the Greeks for centuries belong to the people of North Africa, and therefore to the African Continent. Consequently, this theft of the African legacy by the Greeks led to the erroneous world opinion that the African Continent has made no contribution to civilization, and that its people are naturally backward. This is the misrepresentation that has become the basis of race prejudice, which has affected all people of color. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: African American Images (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0913543780
• ISBN-13: 978-0913543788
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #605,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

206 of 242 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is terrible but I understand the purpose, December 4, 1999

By 

Obatala (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy (Paperback)

Hotep, I first read this book when I was 11 or 12 and I really liked it then. Unfortunately, this book is hideously flawed with regard to accuracy. As I grew older and increased my personal knowledge of Kemet/Egypt the inadequacy of this work became ridiculously obvious. James' representations of Kemetic thought are completely erroneous. That being said, I do not side with James' other critics on this page. I appreciate what he attempted to do for African people and I understand the brutality of the environment in which he operated. I honor him as an Ancestor. At the same time I am not pleased when I see people (particularly Black people) using this inaccurate work in their attempts to combat the well armed and well entrenched Eurocentrists and Neo-Eurocentrists. Neo-Eurocentrists and Eurocentrists find this book incredibly useful to their cause. Stolen Legacy is used to dismiss a diverse Afrocentric movement as a bunch of dreamers, demagouges, and ill prepared romantics. Another note: I found it very amusing how certain contributors to this page confidently stated or implied that "the Egyptians are not Black" or that "Egypt had no connection to Sub-Saharan Africa." (smile) Very cute, however one might actually want to study Kemetic religion, history, language, and culture before opening their mouths to make such inane statements. This is particularly the case with regard to Egyptian history, language, religion, and culture. The "Blackness" of this African people is not really an issue for me (I'm sure Kemet was not absolutely homogeneous)but it annoys me when silly people confidently assert that these AFRICANS were not Black. Another note: Kemet/Egypt is not the only great African civilization. Those who truly want to study Africa, live as Africans, and or assist in her ressurection cannot allow themselves to be confined to to a single branch of the African family. One more VERY IMPORTANT thing. Black/African people, particularly those who call themselves "Afrocentrists" need to stop focusing so much upon our relationship to Greece and other European civilizations. 1. We need to study Africa and our people in our own right and through our own eyes. "Proof" of our contribution or relationship with a European Civilization should not be viewed as a way of legitimizing or increasing the status of a given African Civilization. 2. Greece and European Civilizations can stand in their own right. Eurocentrists and Neo-Eurocentrists do not usually view themselves as such. They view themselves as "orthodox", "careful", "OBJECTIVE", and "SCHOLARLY" (whether they are or not). The fact is they are the established camp and they hold a greater following upon the masses. We must put works such as "Stolen Legacy" to rest and make sure that in our pursuits we are commited to accuracy and truth. This is the only path towards victory. The multitude of African Civilizations are interesting, wonderful, and legitimate without any fantasy and romanticism added to them. Di en ek ankh udja soneb (may there be given to you life, prosperity, and health)

32 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unsubstantiated thoughts, Look to more scholarly work, November 8, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy (Paperback)

I think there is little doubt among Egyptologists and students of Ancient Greek thought that Egypt heavily influenced the Ancient Greek paradigm and may have influenced the conception of certain Greek deities, particularly Athena. The Immortal Principle, for example, very well may have originated in Akhenaten's attempt at monotheism before the Greek dark ages. However, the argument is very poorly constructed and largely unsubstantiated. There are very clear divergences in Egyptian and Greek thought, as well as many progressions in Greek Philosophy which can not possibly be attributed to Egypt except by the most dillusional and tenuous thinkers.

People who are interested in truly scholarly work on the afro-asiatic roots of Greek thought should check out The Black Athena and Isis in the Ancient World. Although both have been questioned, especially The Black Athena, they are certainly more substantiated than this book, in which the authors prance around like elephants in a china closet trying to interpret history to suit their own liking. Cool for the lightweights, but if you want the real I suggest you turn to the aforementioned titles.

23 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More important for the questions it raises than answers, February 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy (Paperback)

Any book that can render this kind of reaction by intellectuals and regular folk alike should be on everyone's reading list. Even in today's polemical culture of complaint, where people hide bad art and cheap sensational ideas behind political/ideological fads or automatic public reactions to their support or refutation, one must look at the thought provoking questions that this book arises- and the near automatic emotions that go with them. I read this book several years ago in college. Though I didn't particularly like the preachy style, it successfully started me on an intellectual journey through a plethora of authors of the past two centuries and a spiritual awakening. This book, I am reminded, has such power, because it raises more uncomfortable questions than it answers. In the spirit of such work, the raison detre of all scholarship, I'd like to ask all others past, present and future who have or plan to review this book: have you read [e-mail]'s review of this yet? Were you aware of the facts he brings to light and refers to- more importantly, the intellectual paradigms he used to formulate his opinions, as those are (linguistics specifically)part and parcel of the methods, principles and practices of all Western scholars? Why do you think all architecture schools across all of Western civilization through the centuries to today begin their students' studies with the Pyramids? Have you seen the pyramids of the Sudan and Nubia, some predating those of Giza, recently unearthed by German archaeological teams? And what do you think our Founding Fathers (Washington, Jefferson, et al) would have thought of such a work (and think of the back of the dollar bill before you answer)?