Race of ancient Egyptians: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 07:56, 18 October 2005

Revision as of 08:10, 18 October 2005

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No genetic test can classify an individual as black or white. However, race is not based on genetics; it is based on [[phenotype]]. It is within this framework that the discussion of the racial identity of ancient Egyptians is generally framed.

The remains of ancient Egyptians available for study today generally have deteriorated sigificantly and have been subjected to [[embalming]]. While scientific testing and forensic examination provide many clues, the debate over the racial identity of dynastic Egypt continues. In the twenty-first[[21st century]], [[Forensics|forensic]] reconstructions have produced widely varying images and castings of what [[Pharaoh]] [[Tutankhamun]] may have looked like, but critics charge that some of these efforts have been politically influenced and have produced politically and racially motivated representations. But even if researchers could determine conclusively the ethnicity of a single pharoah, the questions of the ethnicity of the broader Egyptian population over the millennia would remain. Much of the importance of Egypt lies in the contributions of its [[philosopher]]s, [[artist]]s, [[scientist]]s, [[priest]]s, [[farmer]]s, [[merchant]]s, local [[Leadership|leaders]], [[engineer]]s, and [[artisan]]s, their skin color is perhaps more informative than that of a handful of royalty. Though non-royal remains have been unearthed, researchers stand little chance of unearthing a true cross-section of Egyptian society, but in any case, most high-profile bickering has centered around the most logical icons of ancient Egypt -- its [[List of pharaohs|pharaohs]] and their queens[[Queen consort]]s.

[[Image:Tut_Guardian_Statue.jpg|thumbnail|left|160px|Jet-black guardian statue of Tutankhamun]]

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Objects of art depicting Ancient Egyptians would seem to hold tremendous promise. Paintings from many other eras serve as near-photographs. Unfortunately for the question of race in Ancient Egypt, the Egyptians seem to have been rather unconstrained in their use of color for skin tones. As with modern marble and bronze statues, Egyptian artists often seem to have valued the nature of the base [[Medium|media]] over the color of the subject. Many renditions of skin tone are a [[red ochre]], which does little but frustrate any hypothesis. Additionally, color was often used in clearly symbolic fashion, as in the guardian statues in Tutankhamun's tomb. However, in some recovered objects, artists seem to have depicted skin tones in a lifelike manner. Compounding problems is the elite and religious nature of much art in ancient Egypt. Expensive carvings in temples and crypts may not reflect the reality of the majority of the Ancient Egyptian populace.

Beyond the scientific difficulties are the political roadblocks. Different factions have various motivations, some wholesome, some not, for claiming Ancient Egyptian heritage as either solely their own, or as the result of a multi-ethnic society. As illustrated in the uproar over the recent reconstruction of TuankhamunTutankhamun, these forces can tinge debate and research.

==Kemet -- "black land"==