Controversies in African History:
Who Were the Ancient Egyptians?
The racial identity of the ancient Egyptians has been a
subject of debate for a long time. Hollywood often casts white movie stars
to play Egyptians rulers. On the other hand, African-American
representations of Egyptians generally appear overtly black. Academics, too,
have been involved in this debate. Some scholars argued that the Egyptians
were white. For example, the “Egyptologist” James Brested, whose 1924
text The Conquest of Civilization was an early classic of world history,
stated emphatically that the Egyptians were part of the “Great White
Race.” Others, such as Diop, have argued that the ancient Egyptians were
black. As he emphatically stated, “The ancient Egyptians were Negroes.
The moral fruit of their civilization is to be counted among the assets of the
black world.” But why do we even ask about the ‘race’ of Egyptians?
In part we do so because our notions of race and civilization have so
permeated much of historical writing in recent centuries. Thus, many
scholars have tried to lay claim to the ancient Egyptians as proof of the
achievements of what they saw as their race. Yet, it is not easy to answer
the question of the ancient Egyptians’ identity by viewing the historical
record. Herodotus, the Greek “father of history,” made reference to the
Egyptians as having “black skin and woolly hair,” though some scholars say
that this description was only relative to that of the fair-skinned Greeks.
Given that Thebes, the real power center of Ancient Egypt lay far to the
south near Nubia, it would be natural to expect that many ancient Egyptians
would today be considered “black” or that at least a fair degree of genetic
exchange went on. Indeed, many pharaohs had Nubian names or Nubian
mothers. Images of sculptures created by the ancient Egyptians themselves
cover a fairly wide range of what would today be considered races. Perhaps
the true answer lies in the fact that there is no such thing as a “pure” race
or perhaps even race itself. This is in no small part true because Egypt, as
one of the world’s great crossroads, has for so long sat astride so many
historical systems of cultural, political, and economic exchange. The Nile
River ties Egypt both to the Mediterranean and deep into sub-Saharan
Africa. The Red sea links Egypt both to the Middle East and Eastern Africa.
Perhaps the reality is that Egypt was both unique to itself as a component of
a wider system of human interaction. Further, the debate of the identity of
the ancient Egyptians is especially remarkable if you think that the ancient
Egyptians themselves seem to have had little notion of “blackness” or
“whiteness.” Race, as we understand it, is a far more modern construction.
Indeed, the fact that we ask the question, “what race were the Egyptians?”
reveals more about ourselves than the answer reveals about the Egyptians.
Questions:
1. History is filled with bias and misinterpretation due to different
perspectives.
a. James Brested wrote the Egyptians were part of “the Great
White Race.” What does this statement tell you about his
perspective and possible bias? 1 pts
b. Diop wrote that Egypt “was an asset of the black world”?
Explain what was meant by this quote. 1 pt
2. How did Herodotus describe the Egyptians? What do some scholars
believe may have affected his interpretation of the Egyptians? 2 pts
3. How might the geographic location of Egypt influence the “race” of
Egyptians? Does the author feel one specific race ruled Egypt? 2 pts
4. What does the author mean by the last sentence of the article? Do
you agree? Explain. 2 pts
5. This article demonstrates that the interpretation of history is often
affected by the bias of those who are writing it. Over the past few
days, we have had a lot of important discussion surrounding
perspective, stereotypes, and bias in addition to studying the
importance of Afrocentric, multicultural education. Taking all of this
into account, please write a 250 word response to this article
showcasing why you feel it is important to include Afrocentric,
multicultural education in the study of history in the public school
system. You are writing from your own personal perspective as a
student of African Canadian Studies.