Far too many people on Free Republic are historically illiterate. These were not Egyptians, they were Greeks; all of the scientists in Egypt during the Hellenistic period were either from Greece, or were people from other parts of the ancient world who used Greek as their common language of learning.
This was a product of Greek science, not Egyptian. Egyptian culture was entirely stagnant during the Hellenistic period, but for thousands of years prior to this, it lead the world, along with the Babylonian/Sumerian civilization.
Notice, you Islam-bashers and Christian chauvinists, that these Greeks, Egyptians, Babylonians, and Sumerians, were all pagan. And they had the most advanced sciences and arts and culture of the world during their time. Islam also once lead the world in science, culture, and the arts. The West is now on top, but that is not gauranteed to last forever, and has little to do with Christianity - the West having hardly anything to do with Christianity anymore.
In other words, the wheel turns.
All you gloaters are the same in every age: ignorant fools, taking credit for things not of your own doing, living off the seed corn that was laid in store by your more energetic and foresighted ancestors.
I'm a FReeper and I know something about history.
I know that islam carried on a lot of Greek/Hellenistic science without improving on it.
Until the Iranian muslim Al-Ghazzali (1058-1111) told his people to turn their back on science and philosophy. He instructed them to concentrate only on their religion.
Following his advice, the khalifah burnt the library of Baghdad in 1150.
At the same time, Saint Thomas (1225-74) told the West that science and Christianity were not in conflict.
He even argued that Aristotle was a kind of pre-Christian saint.
Science does shake belief in God and make people question religion. But not all religions choose to quake at the sight of it and turn their back on progress.
The greatest example of fine machinery up until modern times was the mechanical clock, which was invented by monks in monasteries.
The West has been shaped by Christian values and has led the world in technological achievements. It would be great if some other religions would quit holding their cultures hostage in a self-imposed Dark Age and quit blaming their troubles on the West.
Just for the record, the nose of the Sphinx was not destroyed by Napoleon's troops but by a muslim (or sufi if you prefer) around 1300 A.D. who thought it was idolaritous.
While all cultures have engaged in artistic vandalism, a religion that hates representational images of any kind, is likely to do more than their share.
Long live Charles Martel!
All you gloaters are the same in every age: ignorant fools, taking credit for things not of your own doing, living off the seed corn that was laid in store by your more energetic and foresighted ancestors. If I have seen further than other men, it was because I was standing on their glasses....
(No, I didn't make that up. Don't remember the proper attribution.)