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Rating: 
Summary: The Scourge of White Supremacy
Review: Bernal is a jewish Englishman. Given his racial and religious background, he MUST be a Afrocentrist, right? The nazi identity of those who fund Lefkowitz and her intense hatred of Black people should disgust any righteous person. The fact that so many white people scramble to bash Bernal's works while wholehearted accepting lefkowitz demonstrates that White Supremacy will only disappear after WWIII decimates modern civilisation and its very racist foundations and structure. I do not propose that Bernal is overwhelmingly correct in everything he writes on the subject. I do not propose that everything Lefkowitz writes is a racist lie. However, I am confident that Ancient Egypt was a black african civilisation that mastered the sciences long before Ancient Greece without these facts having to gain the acceptance of white people. I am also convinced that the content of Lefkowitz's arguments: her behaviour in various debates on the issue; the pro-lefkowitz/anti-bernal reviews my the mainstream press; and the wickedly bias treament towards lefkowitz by the media in the US combine to show us all that White Supremecists undeniably control every aspect of today's society, academia being no exception to this rule. White Supremacy is here and has been here for hundreds of years. Two shocking realisations sparked into existence White Supremacy as the main goal of the ruling European culture. 1. When Europeans realised that they were the only white people on this planet 2. When Europeans realised that every time a white man or woman procreated with a non-white man or woman, a non-white baby was born. These two discoveries when coupled together force the obvious conclusion that eventually, white people will no longer exist on this planet. It is my assertion that the behaviour of Europeans over the past 600 years has been dicated first and foremost by this scary conclusion. The decimation of the earth's populations outside of Europe by Europeans has occured time and time again with this scary conclusion at the centre of this evil, warmongering, genocidal behaviour. The future imagined by Big Brother in Orwell's 1984: "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face -- for ever." Well the European foot has been stamping on the African's face for a long time now and if Europeans have their way, they will continue to do so forever. This is what happened in the Black Athena Debate. White Supremacy via Lefkowitz, mainstream (read "white") academia and the mainstream (read "white") media has been stamping on the face of Bernal, Diop et. al. simply because White Supremacy means the superiority of everything European over everything African. Science, Mathematics, History and Civilisation all have to follow this line of White Supremacy for it to hold together. It's just as simple as that.
Rating:
Summary: Great historiography, lots of inspiration for further study
Review: Black Athena There are a lot of hysterical reviews on this forum, by people who clearly have
not read, let alone understood the book, Black Athena. This book is not about whether the Ancient Egyptians were Black, or whether
Greek civilization as it exists today and became known to the Romans was a
wholesale copy of Egyptian civilization, as it obviously wasn't. So, what is Black Athena about? This book carefully sets out Martin Bernal's hypothesis, that ancient history
can be seen as having been molded into specific narratives, depending on
the age when that narrative was created and found it's uses.
He defines three different Models or narratives, namely the Ancient Model,
The Aryan Model, and his own Revised Ancient Model. He includes some
suggested timelines, but basically, the Ancient Model of Greeks like
Herodotus, suggested that in 15th century BC, Egyptians and
Phoenicians had set up colonies in Greece and the Aegean, creating Greek
civilization. The Aryan Model suggests that civilization started with the
indigenous creation of a civilization in Greece, and that there were
Nordic invasions of Indo-European speakers who mixed in with
the non-Indo-European speaking indigenous population
Bernal's Revised Ancient Model places the Egyptian and Phoenician
invasions in the 21st-19th century, pushes back the introduction of the
alphabet to the 17th century (from the 9th century), but maintains
that there were Nordic invasions and that the indigenous population
spoke a related Indo-Hittite language. All ten chapters in this book are documented to a different period and
the changing perspectives and emphasis that is put on a particular origin
of history or culture (from the Ancient Model In Antiquity (I), through
this model's transmission during the dark ages and the renaissance (II),
The Triumph of Egypt in the 17th and 18th Centuries (III) and
the beginning Hostilities To Egypt In The 18th Century (IV) (long _before_
Champollion's decypherment of Egyptian in the first quarter of the19th century).
These hostilities had no small part of their origins in the existing race based slavery,
colonialism and the challenges from within Europe to the transatlantic slave trade
as a catalist of the need for a defense of the first two institutions. Chapters V through IX deal with the Romantic Linguistics (V) the discovery of
Sanskrit as a related, Indo-European language and the rise of the Indian-Aryan model.
Hellenomania (VI) deals with the rise of Greece as a fount of European
civilization and ideals, under the German school of von Humboldt and Wolf.
Hellenomania 2 (VII) deals with the takeup of this school of thought in England
and the growing pre-eminence of the Aryan model in the middle of the 19th century.
The Rise And Fall Of The Phoenicians (VIII) deals with the recognitions of
the Phoenicians and the influence of antisemitism, as does chapter (IX). The book concludes with The Post-War Situation (X) and discussion
of the influences of Gordon and Astour and their reclaming of the legacy
of the Phoenicians. In the end we have to ask: is it really so difficult to believe that Ancient Egypt
at the height of it's power, it's age of expansion, created small Egyptian colonies
in the Peleponnese and around the Aegean (20th century BC), that these colonies
helped to transfer some of it's culture and civilization, and that the Greeks had myths
that said so? No linguist today disputes the Phoenician origin of the Greek alphabet.
A small step pyramid has been found in Thebes, Greece. Most ancient Greek
philosophers paid homage to Ancient Egypt and studied there, in the 5th century. A classic book and a must read for anyone interested in the topic, especially
of Aegean relations and the history of history itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Black Athena Grasps at Straws: Bernal Ignores His Critics
Review: If Bernal is the nexus of the Afrocentrist movement, as some claim, then its demise should be close at hand. Barnal's attempt to overcome devestating critisms by sheer inertia of his socio-political fantasy is a failed one. He is still controversial, no doubt, but controversy is not a suitable substitute for good scholarship which is sorely lacking in this latest book on the so called 'Black Athena' controversy. Barnual's 'refutations' of his critics are, in fact, his original claims restated albeit rewritten in post-modern jibberish. His fantastic theory still rests squarely on conjecture, factless speculation and highly questionable etymologies. It was evident in the original _Black Athena_ that Barnal knew very little about Classical Greece. For instance, he ignorantly claimed Aristotle stole ideas from the Alexandria library even though Aristotle died 25 years before its collection was assembled (facts that could be gleaned from a simple encyclopedia). His grasp of historical facts has not improved with this latest offering. In the end, his theories are as credible as the Ice People/Sun People hypothesis. It's a shame Dr. Martin won't actually study history but instead insists on purpetrating acedemic and intellectual fraud. The only things this book proves is that the myth of the "stolen legacy", like the myth of benevolent Marxism, dies hard and that crude racism blended with psuedo-history is the core of the Afrocentric movement.
Rating:
Summary: No More Western Arrogance
Review: In Black Athens Bernal argued that Greek history had been written when racism was dominating Europe. The origins of "super", "pure" races had to be super and pure. We're still under the influence of this racist history. In the opening ceremony of 2004 Athens Olympic games, the NBC speaker had said "now the sport is returning to where it originated", as if there was no sport elsewhere in the world. European civilization advanced our world, and its origin Greece started everything from nothing. This is the idea Bernal criticizes.
But Can you name a civilization which didn't take from others? Building a civiliziation is all about trading ideas. But we were given the impression that Greeks created philosophy, art, mathematics and everything else out of nothing.
But didn't Phthogoras study in Egypt? Didn't Phoenicians invent the alphabet and give it to the Greeks? While even Herodotus mentions Egyptians colonizing Greece, how can we not appreciate Bernal's Black Athens and his this reply? Sure few of us have the sophistication to evaluate his and his opponents' evidence. But Bernal has a rock solid thesis which makes perfect sense. 19th and 20th centuries were the ages of positivism where there was a pure science (physics), where there were pure races. White race was drunk of its supremacy over blacks, native Americans, Indians and was justifying its ruthless colonization with the theory of evolution. Of course when the origin of Europe had to be pure, not contaminated by "backward" African Egyptians, and Semitic Phoenicians and Asians. This was the European-Western arrogance and it still exists today (e.g. current US policy in Iraq, EU Christian Democrats' statements against Turkey's EU membership). The truth is, Greece learned from Egyptians and Phoenicians, contributed to it, and gave it to the world.
Rating:
Summary: Not Literally Black!
Review: People may dislike Bernal's writing style, but that doesn't mean they should ignore his ideas. By naming his books "Black Athena" Bernal doesn't mean that AthenaÑthe symbol of the Athenians and their culture, which we call Greek cultureÑwas imagined as black. More likely he believes she was a light mediterranean brown. Even the famous classicist Bernard Knox (a professor who wrote introductory essays to Robert Fagel's translations of The Illiad and Odyssey) conceeds this point in his ironic essay collection "The Oldest of the Dead White European Males" when he politely describes Greeks as an olive colored people. Bernal's use of black in "Black Athena" refers to the historical misconception of her skin color by Romantics, Racists, and ImperialistsÑ who were not necessarily the same people! It also refers to the poetically and politically motivated misunderstanding of the historical origins of Greek myth, culture, and language. Not to say that Athena wasn't a Greek Goddess but rather that Greek ideas of Gods and Nature have significant (and uncredited) roots in more ancient civilizations (whether Egyptian, Sumerian, or more broadly Afro-Asiatic). Bernal is attempting to undermine the false popular idea (especially among people who specialize in the study of the Greco-Roman Classics) thatÑ poetically speakingÑ Greek culture just sprang out of the ground like Cadmus' dragon teeth. Oh wait, no; actually, that myth tells of how a Phonecian, who we classify as Afroasiatic, brought literacy to the Greeks. Other ancient Greek sources attest to having recieved the basic tools of Greek Culture from their neighbors, why should we disbelieve them? Then there's etymology... Of course, Afroasiatic roots do not detract from the genius of Greek theater, literature, and philosophy! That would be like saying Newton was an idiot because he didn't invent numbers. That would be like saying Shakespeare was worthless because he didn't create the theater, because he learnt from the literary examples of Geoffery Chaucer, Christopher Marlow, and Ben Johnson, because the subject matter of his plays were shaped by thousands of years of preceeding history, and because his plots were not original. Clearly parents have a large role in the raising of children, but posterity does not praise parents for their childrens accomplishmentsÑ not with great artists, scientists, or statesmen. Though they lay the foundations of a child's moral, literary, and technological culture, what is built on those foundation is not their own. Ultimately Shakespeare's father was not Shakespeare, but who would believe that Shakespeare's family had no influence on his intellectual development? Likewise, using and improving the brilliant ideas of neighbors and ancestors does not rob scientific progress or artistic excellence of value. Is it more important that an idea is perfectly original? none are, or that it is good? Cultural innovators keep their worth when credit is given where credit is due, and their supporters have their importance recognized too. It seems like the subject of intellectual precedence stirs up great anxiety in lovers of Classical literature. It shouldn't. Greek achievements are no less grand because they sprang from foreign soil. If anything, appreciation of Bernal's ideas will hopefully convince linguists and classicists with philosophical inclinations to shape up their fields erroneous notions of cultural originsÑ especially regarding etymology (read his books for details). It would be wonderful if a love of truth leads to more precise translations and a better understanding of the ancient literature we love.
Rating:
Summary: Not Literally Black!
Review: People may dislike Bernal's writing style, but that doesn't mean they should ignore his ideas. By naming his books "Black Athena" Bernal doesn't mean that AthenaÑthe symbol of the Athenians and their culture, which we call Greek cultureÑwas imagined as black. More likely he believes she was a light mediterranean brown. Even the famous classicist Bernard Knox (a professor who wrote introductory essays to Robert Fagel's translations of The Illiad and Odyssey) conceeds this point in his ironic essay collection "The Oldest of the Dead White European Males" when he politely describes Greeks as an olive colored people. Bernal's use of black in "Black Athena" refers to the historical misconception of her skin color by Romantics, Racists, and ImperialistsÑ who were not necessarily the same people! It also refers to the poetically and politically motivated misunderstanding of the historical origins of Greek myth, culture, and language. Not to say that Athena wasn't a Greek Goddess but rather that Greek ideas of Gods and Nature have significant (and uncredited) roots in more ancient civilizations (whether Egyptian, Sumerian, or more broadly Afro-Asiatic). Bernal is attempting to undermine the false popular idea (especially among people who specialize in the study of the Greco-Roman Classics) thatÑ poetically speakingÑ Greek culture just sprang out of the ground like Cadmus' dragon teeth. Oh wait, no; actually, that myth tells of how a Phonecian, who we classify as Afroasiatic, brought literacy to the Greeks. Other ancient Greek sources attest to having recieved the basic tools of Greek Culture from their neighbors, why should we disbelieve them? Then there's etymology... Of course, Afroasiatic roots do not detract from the genius of Greek theater, literature, and philosophy! That would be like saying Newton was an idiot because he didn't invent numbers. That would be like saying Shakespeare was worthless because he didn't create the theater, because he learnt from the literary examples of Geoffery Chaucer, Christopher Marlow, and Ben Johnson, because the subject matter of his plays were shaped by thousands of years of preceeding history, and because his plots were not original. Clearly parents have a large role in the raising of children, but posterity does not praise parents for their childrens accomplishmentsÑ not with great artists, scientists, or statesmen. Though they lay the foundations of a child's moral, literary, and technological culture, what is built on those foundation is not their own. Ultimately Shakespeare's father was not Shakespeare, but who would believe that Shakespeare's family had no influence on his intellectual development? Likewise, using and improving the brilliant ideas of neighbors and ancestors does not rob scientific progress or artistic excellence of value. Is it more important that an idea is perfectly original? none are, or that it is good? Cultural innovators keep their worth when credit is given where credit is due, and their supporters have their importance recognized too. It seems like the subject of intellectual precedence stirs up great anxiety in lovers of Classical literature. It shouldn't. Greek achievements are no less grand because they sprang from foreign soil. If anything, appreciation of Bernal's ideas will hopefully convince linguists and classicists with philosophical inclinations to shape up their fields erroneous notions of cultural originsÑ especially regarding etymology (read his books for details). It would be wonderful if a love of truth leads to more precise translations and a better understanding of the ancient literature we love.
Rating:
Summary: Rallying-point for hate
Review: The facts are available for any who want facts. The general impression of the greatness of Egypt has never been spoken against in my lifetime in any scholarly way. The value of speculation presented as fact is no greater in this venue than any other. I prefer to believe civilization in the Americas is older than traditionally portrayed by orthodox views, but making up my own version of history in the Americas and presenting it as fact that has been conspired against (using Spaniards burning our writings as de facto "proof") would be damaging to my own peoples, our place in history and the greatness of our true achievements....it would be disgraceful for me to attempt such a shill in the name of hate. It is indeed sad that people can be made to hate invisible conspirators and so easily believe that there is a secret plot working against them. Inventing history that is favorable to oneself is no more valid than inventing history for any other reason. I am Creek and Crow. My people were wiped out. They were not enslaved or treated poorly, they were massacred, that gives me no right to try to vengefully make up lies about it. What really happened, happened, no more, no less. Individuals are responsible for hate, not conspirators. It is easy to place blame on others as a group because it makes one feel more empowered against bad things that occur without real reason in life (if the terrible things in life have a cause and a source it is better than the maddening truth that everyone, regardless of the tone of their skin, has to deal with the unpredictable hardships of life with no more success than anyone else). There is no genetic evidence that my people are descended from Africans; whether they were or not they developed their civilization independantly. Are we then "white people"? Archaic notions of group-hate are bigtime cashcows, even more so than firsthand hate (reactionary hate is much easier to sell). This is another example of just such a ploy. There is much legitimate history to be proud of and to explore, with wonderful new horizons awaiting every shovel; sadly, it is much easier to get a reaction from a reader with hate than beauty. -true__ibnFrey
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not enough new material
Review: What is all the controversy around Bernal's work about? It only takes a student of history to learn without a doubt that Egypt was indeed the cradle of modern human civilization. Only look at the historical evidence to confirm this if you have any doubts. Bernal's work was not a mind shocker with his conclusion about the fundamental influence of Egypt as teacher to a student to the Greeks, but I do commend Bernal for introducing the historical evidence to Western readers who do not know about it up till this day. My only surprise in the whole matter is that this simple idea of Past preceding its Inheritors does not want to be acknowledged by so many people in the "west" today, in the year 2002 AD. This in its self is the biggest testimony to the validity of Bernal's simple thesis. To those who still doubt, just learn Egyptian history and archaeology; it is written in papyrus, inscribed on stone and closer to you, by the ancient Greek students of Egypt who later became known as the fathers of Greek and, to you, "Western Civilization".
Rating:
Summary: HOW THE MEXICANS SAVED CIVILIZATION
Review: Y'all got it all wrong here! Cleopatra was neither black or white. The same goes for the ancient Egyptians, too. They was probably Chinese, or Indians, or maybe Mexicans like me. Why not? If we're gonna go to extremes then let's be fair and include every race as a possible candidate. Why should me and my homeboys be left outta this interesting subject?
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