How come the Ancient Greeks were so brilliant while the rest

>>9399097
>Greek flag
The Ancient Greeks were the Hellenics, and they all left. Modern Greeks are the cowardly, mud-brained trash without the wherewithal to leave their goats or make anything of themselves.

>>9399097
The "Greek Miracle" narrative is a false one.

>>9399120
>>>/int/
>>>/pol/

>>9399130
go on

>>9399097
The Greeks were heavily influenced by Egyptian, Phoenician and Mesopotamian ideas

>>9399132
Nothing /pol/ or /int/ about the fact that the Ancient Hellenics migrated away mysteriously, leaving the people who eventually became modern Greeks with a wistful memory of greatness but no real connection to that greatness.

>>9399097
Please read any book about the history of Ancient Greece, just one book, please.

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>>9399130

>When you hear someone —be they a student, a colleague, or an amateur—say that they are interested in Classics because of “the Greek miracle” or because Classics is “the foundation of Western civilization and culture,” challenge that viewpoint respectfully but forcefully. Engage them on their assumed definitions of “foundation,” “Western,” “civilization,” and “culture.” Point out that such ideas are a slippery slope to white supremacy. Seek better reasons for studying Classics.

>>9399097
China
Egypt
Indus Valley
Persia
Semitic-Syriac Levant
Mesoamerica
Peru

All outshone or equaled the Greeks in everything but quantity of literature that just happened to be preserved. And we shall see about that as China cranks up its antiquities departments.

>>9399153
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21401952

Of interest.

>>9399168
>slippery slope to white supremacy
Are you saying that Western Culture is the worthwhile culture? If not, how would Ancient Greece being the foundation of Western culture lead to an idea of supremacy of whites?

Seems circular to me: "the West is best; since the West is white, whites must therefore be superior"; you kind of have to snuggle up to white supremacy to have that premise in the first place.

>>9399170
I'm not the most educated when it comes to classical works, but from what I've seen Greek philosophy is unique when it comes to emphasizing empiricism and reason, which are critical components of creating free and innovative societies. From what little exposure I've had to them, it seems Taoism and Confucianism are much more rooted in abstract spirituality, along with other non-European philosophical systems.

>>9399194
I found reading the Spring and Autumn Annals and The Records of the Grand Historian to be of the same grade and rationality as, say, Thucydides, although the actual prose is far less beautiful usually.

http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/sima_qian_letter.pdf

Good sample, he is writing a letter to a friend explaining why he isnt going to kill himself now that he has been castrated.

>>9399130
This, Greece was awesome and genius, but in the beginning their culture was aped from the Egyptians.

>>9399170
Thanks for the link. It was neat, but after reading it I don't find much catches my imagination. Probably a personal failing.

>>9399206
I just thought it was neat that there are ancestors of pre-classical greek, possibly mycenaen, populations in southern france and corsica

>>9399203
This excerpt is fantastic, thank you.

>>9399186

>Are you saying that Western Culture is the worthwhile culture?

It certainly was for a while. I think it's been in decline for over a century though.

>>9399223
The entire letter and the Han Histories are very good, especially his "Lives" which mirror Plutarch's style.

>>9399226
I don't think the idea of momentary cultural superiority translates to the idea of fundamental racial superiority. The criticism stands.

>>9399170
Is this bait? Do you actually believe that Egyptians were intellectually superior to Greeks?

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>>9401539
>egyptians
Existed for 4000 years
Invented math, writing and medicine.

>greeks
Existed for ~600 relevant years
Invented 404 Not Found

>>9401560
Kys

>>9401560
>600 years

If you dont count Macedonians as Greeks its way less than that senpai

>>9401539
Herodotus sure thought they were impressive. And you are just a /lit/ shitstain