Question by Blues: Discuss the controversy concerning the racial identity of the ancient Egyptians. What is the significance of..?
Discuss the controversy concerning the racial identity of the ancient Egyptians. What is the significance of this controversy for this history of African Americans?
It is a question from a textbook “African Americans — A Concise History”. My question is NOT for assignment. Just want to have a “model answer” to check. Hope I can find it here.
Best answer:
Answer by ††AnkhesenKheper††
Well, the controversy is of course driven by racism. People are so absorbed in what color skin is more capital that they use just about any excuse to claim “superiority” over all. I can understand the point of wanting to be a part of a great civilization—I really do—but then there are those who use it as a basis to their racist opinion.
My view on the ancient Egyptian race is unbiased. I’ve studied it for too long to wing a bogus theory that my uncle Frank was related to Pharaoh Akhenaten.
With my moral judgment and years of breathing in the midst of Egyptology books, I can rightfully say that the Egyptians were of MANY skin colors. This isn’t my way of sneaking out of the subject and making everyone happy. It’s my honest conclusion.
Why?
The pre-dynastic stages of Egypt, when the land was unclaimed, happened to be during a climate change. After reading numerous archaeological reports, I know those from the European regions were heading south(to Egypt), those from South Africa were heading Northeast(to Egypt), and those from the Palestinian territories were heading west(to Egypt). By the time these nomads settled in and established a working economy, they had intermarried, thus creating their own “Ethnic” background. Over the years, and even visible to us today, the Arabic peoples have taken over most of what we know to be ancient Egyptian territory. Their ancestors had a knack for invasion, and so most of what we see in ancient Egyptian history mimics that of the Arabic cultures(more than anyone else). That doesn’t go to say they were mainly Arabian. Egypt was a “melting pot” of colors and cultures.
You can put it a thousand different ways and people will still, somehow, find a way to fight it. Whites want ancient Egyptians to be European. Blacks want ancient Egyptians to be Black-African. Asians want them to be Asiatics. And Middle-Easterners want them to be Middle-Easterners. In a way, we all win. The Egyptians were a mishmash of everything out there. They happened to be dead center of the intersection of Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle-Eastern territories.
Honestly, I find labeling an ancient body of people to be “anachronistic”. It’s a shame so many people like to use a brilliant civilization to justify their hatred of certain other skin colors. But that’s people for you nowadays. They’re selfish.
Excuse my rant. I’m drawn into subjects pertaining to the ancients of Egypt. 
~~ ††AnkhesenKheper††
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Originally posted 2011-12-10 23:45:01.
