or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
22 used & new from £7.50
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality?
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality? (Paperback)

by Cheikh Anta Diop (Author), Mercer Cook (Translator) "In contemporary descriptions of the ancient Egyptians, this question is never raised ..." (more)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
RRP: £14.99
Price: £9.77 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £5.22 (35%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, November 10? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
14 new from £7.50 8 used from £7.50
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover ([1st ed.]) 2 used & new from £215.68
Paperback Order it used

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with They Came Before Columbus by Van Sertima

The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality? + They Came Before Columbus
Price For Both: £16.85

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality? by Cheikh Anta Diop

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • They Came Before Columbus by Van Sertima

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues of a Race from 4500BC to 2000AD

Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues of a Race from 4500BC to 2000AD

by Chancellor Williams
4.8 out of 5 stars (12) 
They Came Before Columbus

They Came Before Columbus

by Van Sertima
3.9 out of 5 stars (15)  £7.08
The Mis-education of the Negro

The Mis-education of the Negro

by Carter G. Woodson
4.8 out of 5 stars (4)  £6.36
Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy

Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy

by George G.M. James
2.9 out of 5 stars (15)  £6.51
Selected Writings and Speeches of Mar (Dover Thrift Editions)

Selected Writings and Speeches of Mar (Dover Thrift Editions)

by Marcus Garvey
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £2.41
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: A Cappella Books (1 Jan 1974)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1556520727
  • ISBN-13: 978-1556520723
  • Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14.1 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 100,101 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #81 in  Books > History > Ancient History & Civilisation > Egypt
    #88 in  Books > History > Countries & Regions > Africa > Northern > Egypt

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Synopsis

The author presents documentary evidence supporting his theory that Egyptian civilization was of Black origin.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
In contemporary descriptions of the ancient Egyptians, this question is never raised. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
african history
black history
egypt
egyptology
afrocentrism
african diaspora
anthropology
history
cultural literacy
origins of man
old world language

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality?
64% buy the item featured on this page:
The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality? 4.8 out of 5 stars (6)
£9.77
Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues of a Race from 4500BC to 2000AD
11% buy
Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues of a Race from 4500BC to 2000AD 4.8 out of 5 stars (12)
Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy
10% buy
Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy 2.9 out of 5 stars (15)
£6.51
The Mis-education of the Negro
8% buy
The Mis-education of the Negro 4.8 out of 5 stars (4)
£6.36
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best book on ancient African civilization., 29 May 1999
By A Customer
This book focuses on ancient Egypt. Diop refutes the theses of those Egyptologists who declare that the ancient Egyptians were anything other than Black. Diop uses an abundance of information to present his case: the phenotypical characteristics of Egyptian statues and paintings, the amount of melanin found in the dermis of Egyptian mummies, the testimony of ancient scholars (Herodotus, Diodorus, and Strabo), and the fact that the ancient Egyptians were culturally and linguistically African. Diop makes the arguments of early prominent Egyptologists like Champollion-Figeac seem utterly ludicrous.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book., 17 Jun 2005
By Noizeski (England, UK) - See all my reviews
Ancient Egypt is one of the most exciting subject to study. This great civilisation that begun by the Nile Valley thousand of years B.C. is the base of today civilisation. Ancient Egypt has been the universal centre of mathematics, science, religion, astrology, social organisation...for thousand of years (Diop, 1974).Most people will never believe that the great mathematician Pythagoras has been trained in Egypt. But who was the Egyptians? This book by Professor C.A.Diop demonstrates with valid scientific evidence that they were neither white, neither yellow but Negreos.This verity has been denied by a considerable amount of so-called "scientist" who try to whiten the Egyptians; or possibly, during that time, there were negroes with blond hairs and blue eyes; so far no scientific evidence proved the latter which may be a theory closer to the "ridicule" that science.
Nowadays, to my opinion most black people have lost their confidence, their true identity, due to the fact that our history has been falsified for some reasons that everyone knows.
This book must be read by every black man whatever your status as it is our duty to find out who we are and teach it to our people and children.
All nations want to dominate the world but some were already at the peak of civilisation when the rest of the world did have a house with a window.

God Bless

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars detailed analysis of the racial identity of ancient Egyptians, 23 Jun 2008
One of the most recognized images of our generation is that of the white-skinned ancient Egyptian. This is how ancient Egyptians have been consistently portrayed in movies, documentaries and books. Diop sets out to show that this image of ancient Egyptians as white is a false one, constructed in the racist climate of the early nineteenth century by European scholars.

In the first six chapters of the book, he carefully considers the reasoning and arguments of a selection of Egyptologists and shows why their theories were wrong. He produces clear historical evidence to show that, up till the falsification of egyptian history in the nineteenth century, it was taken for granted that ancient Egyptians were black. He cites noted Greek and Roman historians and also supplies scientific evidence to back his assertion. He goes further to show that the origins of ancient Epypt actually lay in Sudan (Upper Egypt), in the heart of Black Africa, and not in Mesoptamia or Asia as claimed by European scholars.

In the second part of his book, Diop builds a strong argument for the black origins of ancient Egypt by detailing strong similarities in socio-cultural and political institutions between Egypt and the rest of Africa. He argues that all of Africa was, in fact, populated from Egypt and that, up till the coming of Europeans to sub-saharan Africa in the fifteenth century, many features of Egyptian civilization had survived in the interior in places like Ghana, Mali, Songhay, Yatenga, Cayor and Great Zimbabwe (all pre-European contact African civilizations). Therefore, the theory of "black barbarism" was infact a myth. He explains that African civilizations suffered a severe cultural reversion as a result of colonialism, which is why it is hard, today, to link African peoples to the former glories of ancient Egypt.

Diop's book is a radical but objective and very credible interpretation of historical, scientific and sociological facts and a bold attempt to provide a clearer picture of African history. Books like "Black Athena" (by Martin Bernal) and "The Destruction of Black Civilization" (by Chancellor Williams) are a good complement to this book.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Cheikh anta diop is a master historian and scientist.This book is a must read for anyone who wants to know how europe literally stole the glories belonging africa. Read more
Published on 3 Jul 2007 by Mzee

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Excellent Book on African and World History
This book has changed forever the way history is written and will be without question the catalyst that enlightens African Americans on their remarkable birthright of ancient... Read more
Published on 26 April 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on the history and influence of Black Africa
This is an excellent book about African history by a brilliant histoian. The majority of people don't know about the great history of Black African people. Read more
Published on 17 Feb 1999

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject























i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.