The Role of Race in Egyptology: Cleopatra vs. Netflix 2023
Copyright © 2023 M7C, All rights reserved
https://variety.com/2023/film/global/black-cleopatra-netflix-egypt-adele-james-1235589497/
Egyptian academics are claiming that Cleopatra, who was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 BC and belonged to a Greek-speaking dynasty, was of European descent and not Black. An Egyptian lawyer has reportedly filed a complaint demanding that legal measures are taken to block Netflix outright in Egypt, to prevent the show from airing. The complaint claims the docudrama, which drops May 10, violates the country’s media laws.
Now as Pharaoh (and according to CIA, the de facto owner of ARE) I have to comment on this issue. The film which stars an Actress of mixed ancestry is not the problem, but the commentary that states “Cleopatra VII (A Ptolemy) was black” rather than “Mixed Greek/Egyptian.” There is a long-held Internet-based delusion that Ancient Egyptians are black (African) because they used Bitumen on their remains. Bitumen is a viscous, black-colored Tar or glue that holds the mummy wrappings to the body. The skin color of Ancient Egypt was “golden.” They used gold on the surface of Mummy cases to reflect this, rather than a modern Status symbol (Silver was more valuable to Egyptians as it was rarer). Cleopatra VII was the by-product of Incest, like many Pharaohs including Tutankhamon. The Ptolemies are children of General Ptolemy Soter I of Ancient Greece, who accompanied Alexander the Great of Macedon on his Conquest of the Persian Empire. The Ptolemies chose incest to “maintain their Greek Ancestry” rather than mix with Native Egyptians (or anyone else). Cleopatra VII had Nubian Bodyguards and Nubian Miners for her famed Emerald Mines.
Older Academics that favored the idea that “Ancient Egyptians had connections to Africa” include outdated books by E.A. Wallis Budge written in the 1800s in England, whom had racial issues with that because at the time “only English Ancestry was superior” and “Ancient Egyptians were Primitive Africans” since Egypt became part of the British Empire, post-Napoleonic era. Of course, his books are outdated but are still available online. Budge was the “Keeper of the British Museum.”
Modern Academics use Genetics and Archaeology to resolve these issues. Netflix is simply “playing to the crowd” of Non-Egyptology for Profit by Libeling the Dead and promoting Misinformation for causing riots in Egypt. © M7C 2023.
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