Were ancient egyptians black. [2] The history of ancient Egypt .

Were ancient egyptians black Dec 5, 2023 · The ancient Egyptians were a diverse population with varying skin colors and ethnic backgrounds. Is it really that illogical to assume that the Egyptians were black Africans? I feel like the knee jerk reaction of most westerners is to incorrectly compare blacks of today to the ancient Africans of antiquity. But exactly what did the ancient Egyptians look like? The Egyptians left many portaits of themselves on their ancient palaces. Sign Up for Weekly Upd Were the ancient Egyptians black-skinned? The difference is obvious 🤔 #ancientcivilizations #egypt Vagueness · Emiliano Branda Like Dislike At the UNESCO "Symposium on the Peopling of Ancient Egypt and the Deciphering of the Meroitic script " in Cairo in 1974, the "Black Hypothesis" and the notion of a homogeneous population in Egypt was proposed by Cheikh Anta Diop in his chapter Origins of the Ancient Egyptians. Several archaeological findings and historical records indicate a diverse racial mixture among the population. Lighter-skinned Greeks got much of their civilization from darker-skinned Egyptians. To answer the questions, we need to agree certain things first. Western media has traditionally portrayed nearly all ancient Egyptians as having white skin. g. The history of Black Africa will remain suspended in air and cannot be written correctly until historians dare to connect it with the history of Egypt. Getty Images. harvard. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150 BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), [1] when Upper and Lower Egypt were amalgamated by Menes, who is believed by the majority of Egyptologists to have been the same person as Narmer. Both black or white Egyptians are descendants of invaders, slaves or foreign traders and mercenaries. Modern scholars reject the idea of a white or black Egypt and emphasize that applying modern racial categories to ancient Egyptians is A recent letter to the editor in BAR (Queries & Comments, BAR 15:03) objected to an advertisement for a doll of Queen Nefertiti that portrayed her as white-skinned. This controversy arises from the difficulty of determining race using DNA from ancient Egyptian mummies, combined with the challenge of interpreting ancient texts, sculptures, and paintings. Despite ideals of scientific and scholarly objectivity, both Egyptologists and non-specialists have often projected their own racial anxieties onto ancient Egypt. Scholars had varied views on the racial identity of the Egyptians and the influences on their culture. Aug 16, 2021 · Two recent documentaries promote a “Black Pharaohs” theme in which Kushite rulers overthrew the superior Egyptians and ruled Egypt (Twenty-Fifth Dynasty), but the Egyptians later erased their reign from history. This online photographic exhibition invites the viewer to consider the appearance of the people of Kemet around 3,000 years ago and to ask the question: ‘Were the ancient Egyptians Black?’ as we use the term in Britain today. A few months ago, I May 10, 2015 · The film features white actors playing the ancient Egyptian characters, outraging those who firmly believe that the Egyptians were black. Here, Schuenemann and colleagues analyse This and other evidence support the idea that it was an African culture in addition to being geographically in Africa. But it is worth noting that the skin-colour distinctions we have today didn’t exist in ancient Egypt. These help answer people's questions about ethnicity, race, and the overall origins of the human Oct 25, 2025 · Were ancient Egyptians black or white? Discover the facts behind the debate, based on science, history, and art. The notion that most pharaohs were not black relies on subjective definitions of "blackness" and overlooks Egypt's clear African origins. That culture has produced one of the seven wonders of the world, several UNESCO world In ancient times, the Egyptians called the desert the “red land”, distinguishing it from the flood plain around the Nile River, called the “black land”. While they had strong cultural influences from the Arab world and Africa, applying modern notions of race to ancient Egypt is considered anachronistic. The exhibit copy quotes Wilson on his approach: “I use beauty as a way of helping people to receive difficult or upsetting ideas. As rulers of Kush and Kemet these kings are often referred to as ‘The Black Pharaohs’ by the popular press and academics Feb 27, 2023 · The ancient Egyptians were a diverse group of people who lived in the Nile River valley in what is now modern-day Egypt. We even need to agree “Who are Africans?” for instance, as odd as that may seem? In modern logic, Africans tend to be those who are either first, second or third generation Africans; or those with an African passport Were ancient Egyptians Black? Were they African? It’s a question that has been debated and debated. Kevin Hart's alleged statement that got the Cairo stop canceled from his international "Reality Check" comedy tour has the internet in a heated debate. Jun 22, 2017 · Mummy genome data have been extracted for the first time The mummies' closest ancient relatives were found in the Near East and Europe Modern Egyptians have developed a greater amount of sub There has been a long-standing controversy as to the ethnicity of the ancient peoples of the Nile Valley, Egypt. The post Fact Check: Were Ancient Egyptians Black? Kevin Hart Debate Rages appeared first on NewsOne. Recurrent attempts to prove that the ancient Egyptians were white or Black, for example, reveal more about modern societies than about ancient Egypt. Why don't more people know about Egypt's black pharaohs? Feb 20, 2015 · No colourism. of the blood groups, show the penetration of the Egyptian population by Apr 20, 2023 · She notes that references to Black-skinned Egyptians are present in ancient texts, but there is a gendered element to this: “Ideologically, women were associated with pale or ‘white’ skin Jan 26, 1995 · Its contentions, as I have encountered them, fall under four rough rubrics: (1) that the ancient Egyptians were black, (2) that ancient Egypt was superior to other ancient civilizations (especially that of the ancient Greeks, which is seen to be largely derivative), (3) that Egyptian culture had tremendous influence on the later cultures of May 2, 2022 · Here you will find all the passages in which the ancient Greeks and Roman scholars described the ancient Egyptians as Black or dark-complexioned (which just means black, BTW). Hot Trends - Best10. The ancient Egyptians were Negroes. May 30, 2017 · Archaeological and historical records had shown ancient Egypt before and after Ptolemaic and Roman periods to be a hub of human migration and exchange. Our sources for what May 1, 2023 · Trying to assign ancient Egypt a single “race” or skin color is like trying to paint the Nile one color—it misses the fundamental diversity that made Egypt what it was. The current Egyptians as well as most if not all Mediterranean ethnicities are darker now than they were 2500-3000+ years ago. At the UNESCO "Symposium on the Peopling of Ancient Egypt and the Deciphering of the Meroitic script " in Cairo in 1974, the "Black Hypothesis" and the notion of a homogeneous population in Egypt was proposed by Cheikh Anta Diop in his chapter Origins of the Ancient Egyptians. Archeological, Anthropological, DNA evidence Jan 22, 2012 · The installation asks, but does not answer, questions about ancient Egyptian identity, leaving it to viewers to discuss and debate. Redford examines over two millennia of complex social and cultural interactions between Egypt and the Nubian and Sudanese civilizations that lay to the south of Egypt. clubHot Trends Lists:Bamboo Pillow Theories about the Negro origin of the Ancient Egyptians have been with Egyptology ever since its beginnings. Reactionaries meanwhile, say that there's never been any significant black civilizations, an utter falsehood. But the answer is there if you look closely at the enormous array. Donald Reid will discuss the history of how such debates have played out among He set out to prove definitively that Egypt’s ancient civilization had its origins in Black Africa. Jan 5, 2025 · From a brief history of the world, in the ancient Egyptians' territory, in addition to the Egyptians, there were also the famous Sami people, white people, and black people. These colours reflect the fact that the desert sands have a reddish hue and the land around the Nile turned black when the annual flood waters receded. Hawass made these comments in response to a Facebook post by Afrocentric advocate Professor Kaba Kamene that stirred controversy among Egyptians. Were the ancient Egyptians black? We sift through archaeol Jun 18, 2023 · A new exhibit in a Dutch museum explores how Black musicians have drawn inspiration and pride from the idea that ancient Egypt was an African culture. Jun 3, 2015 · These scholars’ approach has mainly focused on the Egyptians’ racial characteristics. Here are the facts that prove ancient Egyptians were Black and Africans. Is this the consensus among historians? Because I have seen plenty of people online who claim that Egypt's Forum 1: Ancient Egypt and the Nile Valley Who were the Ancient Egyptians? Were they black Africans? Why should their origins matter so much? Is the history of Egypt being used by some African Jun 19, 2025 · What Ancient Egyptians May Have Actually Looked Like “The Egyptians were Black. There were also Egyptians who a modern person might think looked black or European. : “Race in Late-Antique Egypt: Moses the Black and Authentic Historical Voice” Race in Late-Antique Egypt : Moses the Black and Authentic Historical Voice [1] Brian Noell (Yale University) The early-sixth century collection of monastic wisdom in Greek known as The Sayings of the Desert Fathers contains the following anecdote about Moses, a black man who became a The Ancient Egyptian Civilisation is one of the oldest on record. Feb 4, 2017 · The Greek physician Hippocrates is known as the father of modern medicine, but a Black Egyptian, Imhotep was practicing medicine and writing on the subject 2,200 years before Hippocrates. On one hand, there is evidence that suggests that Ancient Egyptians were black, including physical anthropological studies of mummies, historical accounts, and artistic depictions. These depictions consistently show the Egyptians as having a tan complexion, straight black hair and black eyes. Were Ancient Egyptians Black? In summary, most evidence indicates ancient Egyptians were an indigenous African population with dark brown or black skin and African facial features. Grab AtlasVPN Cyber Month deal for 86% OFF https://atlasv. The race of the ancient Egyptians has long been a controversial subject of debate. According to the letter writer, Nefertiti was “a beautiful black Egyptian Queen. These objections revealed the extent of a disagreement If ancient Egyptians were a majority semitic population, would that count as black for African Americans? I'm not aware that African Americans consider Arabs to be black as a general rule. We can see this interpretation portrayed in Michael Jackson’s 1991 music video for Remember the Time from his Dangerous album. Some today believe they were Sub-Saharan Africans. But Ancient Egypt was a civilization of African people, in Africa. Feb 27, 2023 · Kevin Hart is lighting up the internet with his alleged statement about the Black origins of Egyptian civilization, but is the comment true? What race were the Pharaohs?SHOCKING AND IRONIC RESULTS of a study made on mummies that settled the debate on the race of ancient Egyptians for good!Scienti Jun 21, 2024 · Egyptologist and former Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass asserted that Afrocentric claims about the "Black origins" of ancient Egyptian civilization are "false and misleading", according to a statement published on Thursday, 20 June. The African historian who evades the problem of Egypt is neither modest nor objective, nor unruffled; he is ignorant, cowardly, and neurotic. Researchers used genetic information derived from mummies to shed light on the ancestry of the ancient But careful reading shows a different picture: ancient Egyptians were a blend of North African and Near Eastern ancestry, consistent with Egypt’s geography and history. Apr 14, 2021 · World-renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass has put to bed Afrocentric claims that the Ancient Egyptians were black Africans, saying such allegations are not true at all. This article argues The ancient Egyptians of Joseph time were indeed what we know today as “black”, this is a fact attested to by many. If anything, it suggests that the Egyptians of Herodotus' day looked like the people of Georgia! Grab AtlasVPN Cyber Month deal for 86% OFF https://atlasv. This is the most debated question in ancient history: Were the ancient Egyptians Black? In this short documentary, we break down what scholars actually know — using real Egyptian art, DNA Nov 29, 2014 · Ancient Egyptians have been depicted on temple walls, tombs and in other archaeological sites in Egypt. Furthermore, the claim that, by extension, this line in Herodotus proves that the ancient Egyptians were black must also be wrong. I have come across a falsehood repeated through social media in the western world that the Ancient Egyptians were black. Contrary to some beliefs, there is plentiful evidence suggesting that there were indeed black ancient Egyptians. Egyptian people spent most of their time outside, where the light was Sudan is one of the world’s last frontiers. Some today believe they were sub-Saharan Africans. While the ancient Egyptians did not identify themselves by race, they depicted themselves in art and literature with a range of skin tones, including dark brown and black. Those Kushite kings are commonly referred to as the “Black Pharaohs” in both scholarly and popular publications. And by ancient Egyptians, I'm assuming you mean the Egyptians before Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in the late 300s BC. Brown Is LIVE on the Line of Fire every Monday - Friday from 3 - 4 PM EST On Facebook and Youtube. However, Egyptians tend to be closer to North Africans and Palestinians ,than Lebanese ,Syrians and Iraqis. Dynasty 25 is a case in point. May 5, 2019 · Explore the ancient Egyptian race debate, DNA studies, and cultural roots. Once though this vast desert land was the home of an advanced & mysterious civilisation. Summary Ethnic Identities in the Land of the Pharaohs deals with ancient Egyptian concept of collective identity, various groups which inhabited the Egyptian Nile Valley and different approaches to ethnic identity in the last two hundred years of Egyptology. The late British Africanist Basil Davidson stated "Whether the Ancient Egyptians were as black or as brown in skin color as other Africans may remain an issue of emotive dispute; probably, they were both. The Anachronism Problem Asking “what race was ancient Egypt?” is like asking “what religion were the Founding Description:- "Were the Ancient Egyptians Black, White, or something else entirely?" For centuries, Hollywood films, colonial-era textbooks, and modern politics have painted a distorted picture of Scientific proof that Ancient Egyptians were not black or a central/western African race and were a race of their own that is similar to Eastern and Mediterranean races. Learn how Egypt's identity evolved through history, art, and genetics. Ancient Egyptians largely resemble modern Egyptians. These objections revealed the extent of a disagreement Ancient Society Which Race Were The Ancient Egyptians? The question of which race the ancient Egyptians belonged to has sparked intense debate for years. One of the strongest facts that give support to this Africanist theory of ancient Egypt is the fact that there HAVE been some ancient artifacts with images of Egyptians resembling profiles of black Africans. edu The ancient Greeks who visited Egypt described the people as resembling the modern day Nubians and said they were Black. Historian Robin Walker talks multiple categories of evidence that proves beyond any doubt that the ancient people of Kemet Egypt were Black people. It is from the Anu of Egypt’s Pre-Dynastic period that the Egyptians get most of their laws and culture including learning to Honor Kings and Gods, how to bury them, sculpture and writing all of which were invented by Jun 18, 2017 · Like other Africans, Egyptian people had dark skin to protect them from the African sun. The video, a 10-minute mini-film, includes performances by Eddie Murphy and Magic Johnson Feb 9, 2024 · A: The controversy surrounding the race of ancient Egyptians dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when racial concepts and hierarchies were prevalent. Kush shared a long history with Egypt, marked by both peaceful interactions and conflicts. Aussie Joel Edgerton (Ramses II) Jul 2, 2023 · The story of Egypt's black pharaohs begins with the Kingdom of Kush, a powerful realm located to the south of Egypt. Eras Journal – Noell, B. Ancient Egypt was a Negro civilization. Jun 21, 2024 · Egyptologist Magdi Shaker responds to Afrocentric claims made by an Afrocentric group regarding their ties to ancient Egyptian civilization: “They searched for their identity and found nothing but ancient Egyptian civilization,” emphasizing that “Egypt does not harbor any animosity towards anyone. I argue, however, that this emphasis on the ancient Egyptians’ physiognomy is not only an imposition of a modern term “race” on a people who had a different world view but also that the ancient Egyptian self-perception has been largely ignored. Scientific proof that Ancient Egyptians were not black or a central/western African race and were a race of their own that is similar to Eastern and Mediterranean races. Recent DNA studies on Egyptian royals like Tut and Ramses III confirm they were related to Black people. I have seen others imply that the Pharaohs were white while the people were something else. Unfortunately, some films are still portraying the Egyptians this way; the 2014 film Exodus: Gods and Kings and the 2016 film Gods of Egypt both received widespread … Continue reading "Were the Ancient Aug 14, 2022 · Egyptologists, writers, scholars, and others, have argued the race of the ancient Egyptians since at least the 1970s. In this post, I cover a topic that has become very controversial in the history of ancient Egypt. The Ancient Egyptians Were Not Black — They Were A Near Eastern People. Modern genetically orientated studies, e. "Numerous objections were made to the ideas propounded by Diop. What skin color were ancient Egyptian? Ancient Egyptians would have been bewildered by our debates over whether they were black or white. Ancient Egyptians are fairly similar in complexion to the current Egyptians. The Kushites were a Nubian people, and their culture, language, and political structures were heavily influenced by their northern neighbor. Jun 1, 2017 · The mixing of ancient Egyptians and Africans from further south means that modern Egyptians can trace 8% more of their ancestry to sub-Saharan Africans than can the mummies from Abusir el-Meleq. The study presented graphs that show the global genetic makeup of nationals in each country. It’s nothing new even if it’s awfully tired and manipulative. Archaeological evidence shows that there were people with red hair, and people with sub-saharan African features living in ancient Egypt. White-skinned people were not even the most beautiful: Mar 11, 2025 · The Kushite kings of Egypt were also keen to initiate a revival of pyramid building in their new realm, bringing about a resurgence of monumental tombs to the Egyptian landscape. Sep 1, 2024 · The question that surrounds the ongoing controversy is about whether there are black roots of ancient Egypt, if the ancient Egyptians were black, of Asian/Med heritage, or possibly even white, and it continues unabated. Aug 27, 2015 · The great debate about race in Ancient Egypt is heavily polarized. " Cheikh Anta Diop, taken from The African Origin of Civilisation. The question of race can be approached from another vantage-point: how did the ancient Egyptians group human beings? For this question, there are more diverse published sources, including pictorial and written. The lingering question is whether they were 'black' or 'white'. Mainstream scholars reject the notion that Egypt was a white or civilization; they Were the Ancient Egyptians Black?Dr. Egyptians say it distorts their history and by Philip Perry June 11, 2017 from BigThink Website Ancient Egyptian Statues. Were the Ancient Egyptians Black? 🌍 For centuries, scholars, historians, and archaeologists have debated the racial identity of Ancient Egypt. Like modern Egyptians, they had a range of skin colors, hair types, and facial features. C. They were further from the Equator than Central Africans, so their skin was lighter than the skin of people living in Central Africa. Conclusion: Ancient Egyptians were Middle Eastern ,not black or white. But this was primarily cultural and geographic, not racial in the modern sense. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. They often depicted men as reddish brown and clean shaven and women with pale, yellowish skin. Historical evidence from Egyptian texts, artworks and mummies suggests ancient Egypt was always ethnically diverse, so could not be classed as belonging to any one racial category. This transformative process is defined by humanity’s inherent unity, a profound commonality that transforms awe-inspiring diversity into a source of strength and unity. If the picture above was of your grandmother, would you think you were Black? Well, when I went to the Cairo Museum in 1998 and viewed a sculpture of the same personality, it became crystal clear that King Tut and other ancient Egyptians were Black or of African heritage. In his time, people with black skin, like Egyptians and Ethiopians, were more civilized than some with white skin, like Scythians and Celts. It is true that other studies have been carried out which suggest the opposite. 3 This did not stop white and black groups from both attempting to claim the Jan 16, 2021 · Info about the lecture: Despite ideals of scientific and scholarly objectivity, both Egyptologists and non-specialists have often projected their own racial anxieties back into ancient Egypt. Redford traces the ove that Ancient Egyptians were white or Black, for example, reveal more about modern societies than about Ancient Egypt. Most historiography on ancient Egypt suggests that Egyptians were well aware of the “skin color” differences of their time, a fact which would be utilized by white nationalists to support an xenophobia against many of the races that would attempt to claim them. This revival occurred approximately 1,000 years after Egyptian burial practices had evolved away from pyramid construction. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Cox, in his African Empires and Civilizations, described the Kushites: "The Kushites were the most ancient of men, the ancient Egyptians themselves being Kushite col-onists" and "The people we call Egyptians were Kush-ites who migrated northward from Kush and carried their culture with them to the country that was to be called Egypt Ancient Egyptians would have been bewildered by our debates over whether they were black or white. “Egypt developed — why In From Slave to Pharaoh, noted Egyptologist Donald B. . . [2] The history of ancient Egypt Most of the artistic evidence shows that while there were "white" and "black" people living in Egypt and sometimes playing important roles in society, most Ancient Egyptians roughly resembled modern Egyptians who don't fit neatly into the white/black binary. At the Museum of Man in Paris, he performed melanin checks on Egyptian mummies and concluded that all the ancient Egyptians were among the Black races. Recurrent attempts to prove that the ancient Egyptians were white or black, for example, reveal more about modern societies than about ancient Egypt. Today's panel will discuss the history of how such debates have played out among Western and Jan 17, 2017 · After over 10 years of analyzing DNA samples from hundreds of people, the National Geographic Genographic Project (NGGP) surprisingly uncovered the fact that Egyptians are not Arabs as most of them believed. Mar 23, 2023 · The question of whether the Ancient Egyptians were black is one that has been discussed and debated for many years, with no clear consensus among scholars. Jul 29, 2024 · Proponents of this theory argue that ancient Egyptians were primarily black Africans and that their civilization should be considered an integral part of African history. pn/Metatron Where the ancient Egyptians black? White? How would you classify them if you were to t Ancient Egypt was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. There's research that says yes, other studies say no. Ramses II had red hair. Dec 3, 2014 · British actor Christian Bale plays Moses in Ridley Scott’s new film Exodus: Gods and Kings, which opens next Friday. Aug 1, 2017 · The ancient Egyptians have their origin in the Levant (modern-day Palestine, in Israel), and they migrated into the Nile Delta and the Sinai, bringing with them their goats and sheep. Oct 25, 2013 · Physical Anthropology Evidence Based on his review of scientific literature, Diop concluded that most of the skeletons and skulls of the ancient Egyptians clearly indicate they were Negroid people In my understanding the people of ancient Egypt weren't of one color. An ancient kingdom that Were ancient egyptians black! Part 2We spoke in the previous video of black pharaohs, lets see if there were any white ancient Egyptians. Indigenous Egyptians likely represented a range of physical diversity. They were an African people, sure, by geographical location, but not by blood, ancestry, or culture. In examining the writings of Herodotus, Western scholars of the late 20th century actively engaged in the “denial of ancient Egypt’s Blackness” by acknowledging the “so-called Black features” of Egyptians (like hair texture or skin tone) described in ancient Greek writing, while also maintaining that the “ancient Egyptians could May 13, 2024 · Irrefutable Proof, At Least A Section of Ancient Egyptians, Were Black. by an invading Assyrian army. Feb 26, 2008 · Though their story remains largely untold, so-called "black pharaohs" ruled ancient Egypt for nearly half a century. ” More recent studies have confirmed this complexity. Jun 29, 2023 · Afrocentrists claim ancient Egypt was a predominantly black civilization, but this has been refuted by many Egyptians and their government. Aug 5, 2025 · They then expect us to believe that black tribes designed and built the pyramids. It is also one the most rich in culture. But most Egyptians still had pretty dark skin, especially if they lived in Upper Egypt, near Sudan. ” — Jean-Joseph Champollion, archaeologist and professor of paleography, 1839. Feb 19, 2016 · The ‘Black’ Pharaohs On the one hand mainstream Egyptology does not like to enter into discussions about the racialised identity of the ancient people; and yet certain representations are seen to be ‘acceptable’ as ‘African’. Egyptologists, writers, scholars, and others, have argued the race of the ancient Egyptians since at least the 1970's. Were the Pharaohs Black Africans, Middle Eastern We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Takedown request View complete answer on peabody. It is in fact a not uncommon belief that Egypt was part of Black Africa, but as far as physical appearance goes this is Mar 9, 2021 · Were the Ancient Egyptians black? And… Were the Ancient Egyptians African? These are controversial questions. Were Ancient Egyptians Black? Nov 14, 2025 · We envision a world order characterized by dimensions of unifying engagement that transcend the current exploitative systems that perpetuate cycles of human subjugation. There were several in Feb 25, 2024 · According to the Anu Theory, the origin of Civilization in Egypt can be found in the first Black African settlers of the Nile Valley in Egypt, specifically the Ethiopian Anu. Several readers’ […] Apr 1, 2014 · In 1955 a west African scholar, Marcel Diop, argued vehemently that professional Egyptolo­gists had been concealing a startling fact for over half a century; Diop claimed that the ancient Egyptians were Negroes and their characteristic civilization was a Negro achievement. ” Moreover, “The Egyptians are a black race of people,” the reader asserted. Also, certain Negroid features can be found in the morphological appearance of the contemporary Egyptian population, more obviously in Upper Egypt than in Lower Egypt. There were plenty of Egyptians who looked tan and stereotypically Near or Middle Eastern. Their skin color was likely diverse Sep 21, 2020 · In the 8th century BCE, he noted, Kushite rulers were crowned as Kings of Egypt, ruling a combined Nubian and Egyptian kingdom as pharaohs of Egypt’s 25th Dynasty. Jan 23, 2021 · Ancient Black Egyptians? They were African? Were they? This was a topic that was raised and discussed. They were neither “Nordic” nor “exclusively Black. The problem lies in trying to impose western racial classifications rooted in ages of racist ideology spawned during the exploitation of African peoples and their arrival in George O. Were the ancient Egyptian elites actually white? Or were they mixed origin? Archived post. '” Shaker stated that, “Afrocentrism, or what is known as African ownership, emerged in Mar 14, 2025 · In today's video, we will cover the nuanced history behind who exactly the Egyptians were, where they came from, & the numerous invasions/migrations that made Egypt one of the most diverse May 22, 2023 · Were the ancient Egyptians Black? A Dutch museum show's King Tut mask and Netflix's Cleopatra documentary reignite a long running controversy Were ancient Egyptians white? I read that some Egyptian pharaohs had European ancestry (like King Tut and Akhenaten). It’s like westerners automatically assume blacks couldn’t have created something as sophisticated Ordinary Egyptians were never depicted with strict "black" skin in art, but always fell into a brown to yellow spectrum, which represents the diversity of appearances Egyptians had and can still be found in modern Egypt. The moral fruit of their civilisation is to be counted among the assets of the Black world. Some were black (see the numibian dynasties and the ruins in today's Sudan) while most were "tanned", apart from the ptolemies I suppose since they were of Greek decent and inbred enough to have remained whiter (?). Jun 21, 2023 · The closest Egyptian concept to ethnic or racial identity was distinguishing “Egyptians” (remetj en Kemet, literally “people of Egypt” or “people of the Black Land”) from foreigners. This narrative undergirds The Rise of the Black Pharaohs produced by National Geographic and “Lost Kingdom of the Black Pharaohs” by the Science Channel. For example, I have had people tell me that as Egypt is in Africa, the Ancient Egyptians were all black. Ancient Egyptians are often depicted with a reddish-brown skin tone in ancient art, but evidence suggests that their actual skin tones varied widely. '” Shaker stated that, “Afrocentrism, or what is known as African ownership, emerged in Eurocentric > Afrocentric in general history: Hey y’all I wanted to ask y’all. In fact, there was a time when Egypt's rulers were black, hailing from the kingdom of Kush, located in modern-day Sudan and Upper Egypt. Apr 23, 2020 · There is a lot of public controversy over which “race” the ancient Egyptians belonged to. They were not black, but were dark skinned. Many Egyptian mummies also had blonde or brown hair. Ancient Egyptians referred to their homeland as Kmt (conventionally Jun 11, 2017 · Modern Egyptians share 8% of their genome with central Africans, far more than ancient ones, according to the study (Ancient Egyptian Mummy Genomes Suggest an Increase of Sub-Saharan African Ancestry in post-Roman Periods), published in the journal Nature Communications. They played a major role in unifying the country and created glorious monuments Nov 13, 2015 · In other words, despite the evidence that ancient Egyptians were black Africans, the longstanding tradition of whitewashing ancient Egypt continues. However, when it comes to Ancient Egypt, there is a huge debate amongst many groups of people. The ancient Egyptians were closely related to ancient and modern European populations, as well as ancient populations in what is now Turkey and Iran. These interactions resulted in the expulsion of the black Kushite pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty in 671 B. Nov 13, 2019 · Egypt was a very cosmopolitan culture with a diverse mix of ethnicities. Some have argued Jun 21, 2024 · Egyptologist Magdi Shaker responds to Afrocentric claims made by an Afrocentric group regarding their ties to ancient Egyptian civilization: “They searched for their identity and found nothing but ancient Egyptian civilization,” emphasizing that “Egypt does not harbor any animosity towards anyone. Gerald Massey, English writer and author of the book, Egypt the Light of the World, wrote, “The dignity is so ancient that the insignia of the Pharaoh evidently belonged to the time when Egyptians wore nothing but the girdle Jun 3, 2023 · From my Biracial Coptic Upper Egyptian/American POV, we use both Historical and cultural evidence to discuss Afrocentrism, exploring the works of Cheikh Anta Diop, and the racial representation in Sep 4, 2023 · Explore the fascinating question of the ancient Egyptians' racial identity in this in-depth video. Aug 18, 2025 · What Was the Skin Color of the Ancient Egyptians? The Complex Truth The question of what was the skin color of the ancient Egyptians is complex, but the latest evidence suggests that they were indigenous North Africans, exhibiting a range of skin tones, from light to dark brown, rather than belonging to a single racial category as defined by modern concepts. totm rpum ghl lff letkwz isx tqbrgb pvgxj tdqs xil ipnpqwh pcypaqe cywn kdjj brwvhz