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  1. #1

    Default Black Egyptians

    I went to a lecture with a visiting professor who gave a 1 hour speech defending the claim that Egyptians where of Negroid heritage. It was also discussed how much of North Africa consisted of many tribes and cultures, who were black, which helped shape antiquity as we know it today, yet these groups have been suppressed and misunderstood due in part to a Euro-centric understanding of history.

    Most of his lecture consisted of quoting a book called Black Athena, by Martin Bernal. If you haven't read it, the book claims ancient Greece was mostly informed (science, art, philosophy) by African cultures, namely Egypt, who were most definitely a black African civilization, according to him.

    I’ve been a long time fan of EB’s work. I’m curious what the teams thoughts are on this issue.

  2. #2
    Uergobretos Senior Member Brennus's Avatar
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    Default Re: Black Egyptians

    I cannot speak as a team member but as an individual I would hazard against ascribing the achievements of Ancient Greece to black Eqyptians. There certainly was a black dynasty in Egypt (the 25th), made up of Nubian Pharaohs who had moved up from the Kingdom of Kush. However I would argue against the term Euro-Centric, as early as the 19th century archaeologists attributed the first great advances in civilisation to Semitic, not European, peoples. European civilisation only began to have the same impact on the world as Semitic and Iranian culture had previously done, with the Hellenistic Age. Even the Greeks accepted that they owed much to the Semitic Phonecians.



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  3. #3
    Speaker of Truth Senior Member Moros's Avatar
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    Default Re: Black Egyptians

    Just curious, but do you know the professor's name?

    Paulus is our Ptolemaic expert and lead historian, so he's the man to answer this question.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Black Egyptians

    As a History student and EB fan, I'd disagree with this theory. Egyptian depictions clearly show the Nubians(etc) as Black as opposed to themselves which they depict in shades from white to a dark skintone you can see on people of northern africa today. If the Egyptians would have been negroid they would not depict the nubians somuch different from themselves. Also Egyptian Statues do not feature any other indications of negroid heritage, lips etc. (something Depictions of Nubians do indeed)This offcource is not a proof for anything, however it's a hint.

    On the other Hand the Influence of Nubians ON the Egyptians is not to be underestimated. there are even hints that The Egyptians adopted the Pyramid form from the Nubians, my sources are rather old tho and I do not guarantee for them. I agree that the Influence of "black people" was larger than commonly assumed, I however do not think that the Egyptians were much darker in skintone than ... modern day Arabians.

    Furthermore I'd like to add that the study of history in europe IS Europe centric. Ancient history is an exception there which is Mediterranean-centric, everything apart from Greece and rome is largely neglected unless you specialize.
    concerning the Information the Greeks had, I think they are largely from the Semitics(as Brennus already put) and other "eastern" people. I doubt anyone attributes a bigger influcene to tracians and Celts than Lydians, Hittites, Persians, Phoenicians, Lybians...
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  5. #5

    Default Re: Black Egyptians

    How ethno-centric the bias is has more to do with where a person studied than even when a person studied in my experience. There are very rich and robust departments focused in Asian history and European history along with ancient history. The least studied in my experience is Africa south of Sahara and S America but that might only be due to what I've been exposed to.

  6. #6
    Member Member Brucaliffo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Black Egyptians

    Egyptians were black in the origin.
    Take a look at the Sphynx face: it is clearly negroid.
    Then they were overcome by white people coming from north-east and a mixed society was created.

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