The striking resemblance which the Yoruba religious system bears to that of the ancient Greeks can scarcely have escaped notice. Olorun, the sky-god proper, now being gradually displaced by the more anthropomorphic Obatala, resembles Uranus, who was displaced by Kronos. In Greek mythology Kronos married his sister Rhea, the earth, and the Yoruba myth makes Obatala marry Odudua, who also represents the earth, though the qualities of Aphrodite appear to predominate. Olokun answers to Poseidon, Ogun, worker in iron, to Hephœstus, Orisha Oko to Priapus, Osanhin to Æsklepius, Orun, the sun, to Helios, and Oshu, the moon, to Selene. Zeus' messenger, Hermes, the lightning, was the protector of plunderers, and Shango is the god of lightning and plunder. Ifa, as the, god of prophecy, and the being who wards off evil and affords help, resembles Apollo, who, in Homer, is perfectly distinct from the sun-god, though identified with him in later times.[1]
[1. In the Roman mythology Air married Earth,and the marriage was renewed every year in spring. (Virgil, Georg. ii., 325.) Here, Air (Orungan) marries Water (Yemaja).]

The spirits of the trees answer to the Hama-dryads, and we have river-gods and sea-spirits. Metamorphosis to a brook, spring, or lagoon is common, and we have one example of a girl, being transformed, like Daphne, into a shrub. The gods, when consulted, gave oracular responses that differ in no essential particular from the answers given by the Oracle of Delphi. The Yorubas, like the Greeks, offer human sacrifices in time of national need. Dancing was, with the Greeks, intimately connected with worship, as Lucian says: [1] "You cannot find a single ancient mystery in which there is not dancing;" and on the Gold and Slave Coasts every god of note has his own dance, which is sacred to him, and known only to the initiated. The religion of ancient Greece has been obscured by a great deal of later poetic imagery; but, when we look into it closely, it is found to be similar to that of the Yorubas, and was no doubt produced when the Greeks were in a like intellectual condition.

In the above quote from sacred-texts, on Yoruba people, Greek culture is assumed as the yardstick for measuring ancient civilization. In a number of art reviews and analysis of the Ife Bronze Heads we heard similar comparisons where the Greek arts and civilization was used as the benchmark to grade Yoruba art and civilization. This of course is all taken from a Eurocentric view. This approach is mainstream and is greatly aided by many great African scholars, some of who in the interest of earning a living and fame and approvals are uninterested in an Afrocentric analysis of Greek civilization to examine if indeed it’s civilization and greatness were not donations from Africa, and Egypt to be specific.

Also, if ancient Yoruba is as closely-related to ancient Greek as is admitted by Eurocentrists, then by logic the two ancient civilizations existed on the same philosophical axis which is yet to be attributed orcompared by the same level or degree of affiliation and symmetry to any other sub-saharan culture or people. What will explain this close association between Yoruba and Greek? If Greek philosophy closely resembles a Black African philosophy, it's because Greek civilization was birthed by the knowledge and sacredness of African mysticism; the knowledge was obtained forcefully when Alexander raided Egypt and carted away the scriptures and scrolls. The knowledge also confirm that Yoruba itself was strongly influenced directly in these sacred knowledge and teachings.

An Afrocentric re-examination of Greek Philosophy. You have read the Eurocentric view, it’s time to get the Afrocentric view and then draw your own conclusion. This book is not recommended for lazy readers, it is intense and engaging, and if you follow through and read the entire book, you will thank the author for this revelation and awakening.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/stle/index.htm

In the above quote from sacred-texts, on Yoruba people, Greek culture is assumed as the yardstick for measuring ancient civilization.  In a number of art reviews and analysis of the Ife Bronze Heads we heard similar comparisons where the Greek arts and civilization was used as the benchmark to grade Yoruba art and civilization.

As they say: the victor narrates the tale. I’ve also pondered on the similarities between the Orishas, Greek gods, Egyptian gods etc even with X-men lol.
Either certain societies coincidently had some things in common. . .such as rendering like elements as faculties of their gods or perhaps some societies mapped their own deities from another culture. I’m leaning towards the latter.

[Side Note:] Also might I add that the Binis were well versed and skilled in casting before the era swept Europe. (I cheekily added that to counter the “benchmark” used “to grade Yoruba art and civilization”.)

Also, if ancient Yoruba is as closely-related to ancient Greek as is admitted by Eurocentrists, then by logic the two ancient civilizations existed on the same philosophical axis. . .

Very valid and important point. Some indicators used to measure a sophisticated society is a society’s form of spirituality and attainment in art. If the Yorubas were of a lighter pigment and finer features I wonder how much more esteem their ancient civilization would have been accorded. For then, it may have even been written that the Yorubas donated to the Greek or even Egyptians but that would be too controversial and ego destroying to consider at this current time with those particular factors absent.

In the early 20th century a German ethnographer (Leo Frobenius) was confronted with the sophisticated sculptures from Ile Ife and believed in his prejudiced heart that he had found the lost city of Atlantis. That lie (or imagination) was too far fetched to have much of a life-span and was thus revoked when other archaeologist studied the case to be untrue. And that indeed the art was to be credited to the Yorubas and not some ancient Greek civilization that existed miles away on another continent.  Albeit it’s not exactly an earth-shattering revelation that the sculptures found in Yoruba land were actually crafted by the Yorubas – you’d think eh?

However it’s slightly ironic though that even then a correlation was drawn. Granted it wasn’t to draw any similarities between both societies; more or less using one to eclipse the other.

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However Egypt was perhaps the America of its time (perhaps even better). Thus is it not possible that her neighbours may have borrowed/copied much from her society at the time?

The knowledge also confirm that Yoruba itself was strongly influenced directly in these sacred knowledge and teachings.

Aha! spoke typed too soon.

analysis of Greek civilization to examine if indeed it’s civilization and greatness were not donations from. . . Egypt to be specific.

I actually don’t find this hard to believe at all, that is why there is such an issue and recurring debate about the “race” of the Ancient Egyptians.

Sadly there are so many things that remain hidden.

eurocentric examination of black history isnt the end of the road for black history, its a normal human thing, when people are conquered, the conquerors write the history in order to glorify themselves and am very sure there was a time when the whites suffered what blacks are suffering today, a time when blacks actually took the credit for every european achievement and a time when whites felt inferior to people with chocolate skin
am sure they identified chocolate skin with fruitfulness[ not dirt] and they might have identified their pale skins as akin to that of pigs and other animals even their fur like hair

even in the roman empire, the northern germanic tribes were referred to as barbarians

the summary of everything happening now in african history is just a case of the rich and powerful getting everything even the things that werent earned and a case of the poor and weak losing everything and even believing that their plight has to do with something innate and the success of the conquerors has to do with something innate in them, it could be their culture, their looks, accent, language

thats the reason why the eurocentric views on great african cultures prevail because it takes t
wo to tango, the oppresors and the oppressed