Breakdown:

1. Admiration Turned to Jealousy:
   • The Greeks and Romans once admired the vast knowledge of the Egyptians (Kemet), sitting at their feet as students. However, admiration soon turned to jealousy, leading to contempt and eventual destruction.
2. Learning from Egypt:
   • Many Greek philosophers, including Pythagoras, Plato, and Hippocrates, traveled to Egypt to study philosophy, geometry, medicine, and more. Pythagoras spent 22 years in Egypt, studying concepts like geometry long used by Egyptians to build the pyramids—a thousand years before he was born.
   • Imhotep, recognized by Hippocrates as the true father of medicine, was a symbol of Egypt’s influence on early medical knowledge.
3. Egypt’s Influence on Greek Thought:
   • Plato praised Egyptian education for making students more alert and humane and even encouraged his own students to study in Egypt if they wanted to understand the minds of great philosophers.
   • The Greeks recognized Egypt as the cradle of civilization, as described by historian Herodotus.
4. The Shift from Learning to Conquest:
   • While the Egyptians generously opened their doors to foreign visitors like the Greeks, who came to learn, these same visitors later returned to invade, destroy libraries, and displace the knowledge they once revered.
   • The destruction of Egypt’s cultural and intellectual heritage was further compounded by later invasions, including the Arabs, which scattered the once-great civilization’s knowledge and people.
5. The Tragedy of Kindness Exploited:
   • Egypt’s welcoming nature, a core part of its tradition, was taken advantage of by outsiders who used the knowledge they gained to ultimately exploit and destroy the very nation that had taught them.
   • What began as a relationship of respect devolved into one of conquest and betrayal, leading to the loss of Egypt’s intellectual treasures.
6. Conclusion:
   • The history of Greek and Roman interactions with Egypt serves as a reminder of how admiration can turn to jealousy and destruction. The once flourishing center of civilization was undermined by those it once welcomed, leading to the erosion of its legacy.

This breakdown explores the tragic turn of events where Greek and Roman admiration for Egypt’s knowledge shifted into conquest, leading to the destruction of its cultural and intellectual heritage.