shared knowledge

In a remote valley of ancient Greece, several glowing orbs descended from the night sky, coming to rest near an olive grove. Emerging from the orbs were beings who communicated via telepathy. Scouts from their civilization, they had been monitoring humanity's intellectual and cultural development. Word of the visitors' arrival soon reached the renowned philosophers Plato and Socrates, who cautiously approached for a dialogue. Through mind-to-mind translation the scholars learned this was not the beings' first visit to Earth. Impressed by Greek advancements in reason, logic and science, the alien scouts offered to share some of the principles of their vast interstellar society. For several nights Plato and Socrates received teachings on advanced mathematics, astronomy, medicine and more. Before departing to observe other developing societies, the aliens extracted a promise that the sages would disseminate what they had learned to their students and others seeking knowledge, so as to help humanity progress in a responsible manner.