Page 37 - STOLEN LEGACY By George G. M. James

Let us remember that Anaxagoras was indicted and imprisoned; that he escaped and fled to his
home in Ionia, that Socrates was indicted, imprisoned and condemned to death; and that both
Plato and Aristotle fled from Athens under great suspicion (William Turner's Hist. of Phil. p. 62;
Plato's Phaedo; Zeller's Hist. of Phil. p. 84; 127; Roger's Hist. of Phil. p. 76; William Turner's
Hist. of Phil. p. 126).

2. The Effects of the Conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great

A. The Royal Library and Museum together with Temples and other Libraries are Looted.

As elsewhere mentioned, it was an ancient custom of invading armies to loot libraries and
temples in order to capture books and manuscripts, which were regarded as great treasures. A
few instances would be enough to verify this custom: (a) we are informed that during the Persian
Invasion beginning with Cambyses, the temples of Egypt were not only stripped of their gold and
silver, but rifled for their ancient records. Every Egyptian Temple carried a secret library with
secret manuscripts and books. (b) We are also informed that when Athens was captured by the
Romans in 84 B.C. the library of books said to have belonged to Aristotle was also captured and
taken to Rome. (William Turner's Hist. of Phil. p. 128; John Kendrick's Ancient Egypt vol. II p.
432).

Just as in the invasion of Egypt by the Persians, the invading armies stripped the temples of their
gold, silver and sacred books; and just as in the capture of Athens by the Romans Sulla carried
off the only library of books which he found; so it is to be expected of Alexander the Great, in
his invasion of Egypt. One of the first things that he and his companions and armies would do,
would be to search for the treasures of the land and capture them. These were kept in temples
and libraries and consisted of gold and silver out of which the gods and ceremonial vessels were
made, and sacred books and, manuscripts kept both in libraries and in the "Holy of Holies" of
Temples.

It is my firm belief that this indeed was the great opportunity which Alexander gave Aristotle
and enabled him and his pupils to carry off as many books as they wanted from the Royal
Library and to convert it into a research centre. Apart from the Royal Library at Alexandria,
there was also another famous library nearby: The "Royal Library of Thebes"; "The
Menephtheion", which was founded by Pharaoh, Setei. The Menephtheion was completed by
Rameses II; but little occurs in history about this greatest of Egyptian Royal Libraries.

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Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy by George G. M. James
The Journal of Pan African Studies 2009 eBook