Date: Fri, 24 May 1996 10:11:29 -0400
To: Athena Discuss 
Subject: Re: evading evidence

PAUL K MANANSALA wrote:
> 
> S. Thomas wrote:
> 
> paul manansala wrote:
> (( cuts )) So, to me its not
> > much of a big deal whether they used axioms or not.
(( cuts ))
> ****
> The Egyptian Museum was a revelation to me.  You walk
> in and turn left to start at the predynastic period
> and go clockwise through both floors ending at the Greek exhibit.
> Here, there is sculpture similar to that found in Greece, and the
> contrast with the Egyptian representations is really striking.  I
> think I was able to pick out the northern coastal peoples described
> by S.O.Y. Keita, but I would not classify them as "Caucasoid" or
> "Europoid," from their appearance.  Nor would I classify them as
> "Hindoo" like Blumenbach and Brace et al.  But there is no doubt
> that everything here was very African, much different than other
> exhibits I had seen in the Near East.
> ****

Yes, and there is a sense that the further back you go in time, the more
"negroid" the exhibits.  I remember talking to a very urbane 
Egyptian gentleman I met on the plane, who had about the same
coloring as Colin Powell.  I asked him if the ancient Egyptians
were black, and he said "Of course!"  He then proceeded to tell
me that if we accept that there are three basic races, the
negroid, the caucasoid, and the mongoloid, and one must choose
the categrory that best fits the ancient Egyptian, there is
simply no question but that they must be classified as negroid.
Okay, I said, so why is there an attempt to separate Egypt
from the rest of Africa.  I can understand when the Europeans do it,
but why does Egypt call itself, "the ARAB Republic of Egypt",
which also would seem to have the effect of denying the African
reality of Egypt.  He sort of mumbled something about historical
reasons, but was then quick to point out that Egypt was a
founding member of the O.A.U also, and tries to be a bridge 
between the world of Africa, and that of the Arabs.  Be that
as it may, I got the definite sense that modern Egypt displays
to some extent the same pathologies of race and color that  
followed in the wake of the colonial powers wherever they went.
Therefore, even in (modern) Egypt there is some denial of
the ancient past, and the Arab/Islamic influence, with its
disdain of statuary and the ancient religions, serves to increase
it.

> 
> The second was the expectation
> that the glory of Greece would somehow surpass Egypt.  Not so
> at all.  Not even by a long shot.  You have to stand within
> the temple, say, at Karnak, then go to the Acropolis, to very
> quickly realize that the latter is first of all a copy, and
> *much* less impressive in scale.  And if you walk around the base
> of the Great Pyramid at Giza, and contemplate the sheer
> vastness of that structure, you quickly realize that this, and the
> other pyramids, were built by men who knew what they were doing.
> It was a matter of plan and execution -- calculation -- rather than
> of general idea followed by a lot of empirical muddling through.
> 
> ****
> For me, it wasn't until I had a sip at the cafe in front of the
> Sphinx that that the magnitude of all three pyramids in the
> background really hit me.  It is said that St. Peter's Basilica
> could fit comfortably within the Great Pyramid of Khufu.
> And the face of the Sphinx was exactly like that of the Sudanese
> clerk at my hotel. ^_^
> ****

There was a recent special on public television in which the 
theories of West and others (re the dating of the Sphinx to
ante-deluvian times, ie. to about 10,000BC) were presented.
There were camera shots from every angle, one of which in
particular looked like Farrakhan -- a frontal shot showing
the set of the lips.  


(( cuts ))
> Obviously, in India many scholars have rebelled at their
> heritage being robbed by the West.
> 
> So, what I'm getting at is yes, there is a double standard.  Had
> such
> evidence as we are dealing with existed in the context of some other
> culture, but with a European center as the "parent" civilization,
> there can be no doubt of overwhelming acceptance.

Interesting stuff about Indian v. Greek astronomy.  Know nothing
about it, however.

> P. K. Manansala

Regards,

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