Research Paper
The Fight for Ancient Egypt
When asked to describe Egypt most people would paint a picture of the large pyramids, pharaohs, and the phynx. Then when asked what types of people Ancient Egyptians were most people would typically say middle eastern with light brown skin tones. This misconception is dominant throughout the world. Even though Egypt lies within the continent of Africa, it is geographically in the right area to be considered having middle eastern or european natives. Many Africans themselves do not claim Ancient Egypt as an African achievement. This misconception stems from racism which now infuses societies across the world and is a result of european imperialism. The idea of a hierarchy of races was formed in order to have a reason for colonizing Africa; whites were superior to blacks who were savages and uncivilized creatures that needed guidance. The idea that Africans could be responsible for one of the most highly developed and longest lasting civilizations in the world would not correlate with their idea of hierarchical races. With the rise of Afro-centerism, some traditional philosophers and historians today still do not accept Ancient Egypt being an African society. Globally, people do not look to Africa as a place for historical achievements and progression, when in fact Africa was the foundation for the human race. For Africans to claim Ancient Egypt and for people around the world to recognize it as an achievement of Africa would be revolutionary in people’s perceptions of Africa.
It is important to first explain why Ancient Egypt is such a hot topic of discussion and why different civilizations fight to claim it as theirs. Ancient Egypt can be considered one of the most developed civilizations ever in that time period. Egypt is the longest lasting civilization still to this day, with a lifespan of 3,000 years. Compare it to the United States, which has only been a nation for 243 years. It was one of the most unique when it came to architecture and the practices of their religion which heavily influenced their society. Many of the achievements that Egyptians accomplished required a lot of inventive knowledge and organization. They were the inventors of the first 12 month calendar which took a lot of astronomy and mathematics as well as the building of the pyramids which took significant manpower as well as mathematics within the architecture (Shillington). Many historians and philosophers will argue that Egypt laid the foundation for advanced education, artwork, documented events, etc. Claiming Egypt would mean claiming a civilization that was ahead of its time and a society that influenced the world in many ways. For many people they look to the Greeks for the start of education and advancement, yet it may be Egypt that is the true source.
The founding of Ancient Egypt is the first debate in the argument between Afro-centerists and traditional Egyptologists about who the Ancient Egyptians were. Some traditionalists believed that Egypt was founded by Middle Easterners or a mix of Europeans. They believed to have migrated from the present day Syria and Israel into the Nile Valley and formed Ancient Egypt. Based on the geographical location of the Middle East and Egypt, this theory is possible but another theory may fit the historical timeline better. Afro-centerists such as Martin Bernal believed that there was an internal migration in the African sahara because of the decrease of vegetation and the increase in dry desert (Bernal 12). This migration theory is backed by archeological evidence which consists of fossils, cave paintings, horse carriages, etc showing a migration pattern into the Nile Valley. There are several migrations into Egypt which makes it hard to distinguish its foundation, but the archeological evidence has been found to match the timeline of an internal migration theory with the creation of Ancient Egypt. When the people from the Sahara migrated to the Nile, they brought with them their culture, art, and extensive agricultural knowledge which allowed them to be self reliant for many years. These characteristics would match those of the people of the Sahara who which many were farmers and had extensive knowledge in the production of agriculture.. The founders of Ancient Egypt have great significance in the argument because those are the people who make Egypt an African society or a Middle Eastern/European society depending on the viewpoint. The fight in claiming Egypt holds heavy significance because it would distinguish some cultures from others. Bernal recognizes this importance which is why he dedicated a good portion of his life discovering evidence to prove Egypt should be included as an African society.
The connection between the Greeks and Egyptians have led to another area of debate between what civilization influenced the other more. Traditionalists believe that Greeks heavily influenced Egyptians when it came to their culture and knowledge. Many even go to claim some Egpytian achievements are a result of Greek influence. Afro-centerists hold an opposite theory where Egypt heavily influenced the Greeks, even as far to say that significant figures such as Plato and Aristotle based their philosophies on Ancient Egyptian aspects. On either side of the argument there is no debate on whether Greece and Egypt had a relationship because there is historical evidence to prove the two civilizations were trading with each other and leaders travelled back and forth to each others empires bringing with them aspects of each others culture. An Afro-centrist named Cheik Diop spent the entirety of his life studying African history and philosophy. He can read hieroglyphics which makes him a heavily reliable source since he is obtaining his information directly from some of the source of that time. A major piece of evidence came from a Greek historian named Herodotus who had accounted his travels to Egypt and recorded that it was in fact a black civilization which Greece had used many of its cultural elements to establish their own society (Diop 24). This is a huge piece of evidence for Afro-centerists because it can be used to oppose traditionalists ideas of a Middle Eastern society, where a highly accredited Greek historian recorded his findings and observations. The Greeks were known for their extensive record keeping during their reign, and many of the Greeks had prided themselves on the fact that they are documenting history for future generations. For a Greek of that time to claim Egypt as a black civilization, it heavily supports the Afro-centric argument. The Greeks have always been upheld to an elite pedestal as the founders of education when there is a large possibility that the Greeks derived their culture from Ancient Egyptians. Having the civilization which paved the way for other historical revolutions be a society in Africa would mean a huge step into creating a more positive image of the continent. It would prove that Africans can and have contributed to the world, that they are not barbaric, and they are fully capable of having a prosperous civilization with structure and order.
When talking about Ancient Egypt, one also has to discuss the role that the civilizations Nubia and Kush played. The Nile Valley did not just form one civilization, it formed several that acted as one community with trading labor and goods amongst each other that allowed for internal survival. There was no doubt that Nubia and Kush were black civilizations because of documentation as well as geographic location in comparison to the location of the ancient pyramids and the sphinx. Sine Nubia is part of the Nile Valley, it is easy to state that Ancient Egypt was a black civilization based on the cultural connections and geographic location in present day Ethiopia. Most of Egypt required trade with Nubia for goods such as lumber and slaves, and with this trade came an infusion of cultures (Gilbert, Reynolds 74). There was a special emphasis on the Nubian woman who often married into royalty and became queens because of their enriching beauty of a dark toned, tall figure. This type of woman was very highly praised within the Egyptian kingdom, which shows the culture was captivated by black beauty more than another race. The heavy cultural similarities between Nubia and Kush to the great pyramids makes the theory of an internal migration more likely. The African people from the Sahara brought along their traditions and knowledge which is prevalent throughout the entirety of the Nile not just in one specific area. This relationship with Nubia helps the argument of a black Egypt since it was made up of many non-debatable black societies. Nubia and Kush by themselves were unique and strong civilizations who were still apart of the Ancient Egyptian kingdom. People usually do not learn about this because of the impact of European imperialism since there was no denying these lively civilizations as African.
Even though there is evidence pointing towards an internal migration, some people still believe that Ancient Egypt was not an African civilization. Due to the close proximity of the Middle East and only a short sea to cross from Europe, people still theorize that Egypt was a result of another group of people who were not Africans. A lot of these theories stem from the time of European imperialism and the slave trade where Africans were deemed uncivilized and needed outside help from Europeans. From that time up until present day, the white influence has affected the perception of Africa and specifically the perception of Ancient Egypt. One of the people who still cannot uphold the Afro-centric idea of Egypt is a woman named Mary Lefkowitz. She is a specialist in Ancient Greek history and began to study Ancient Egypt once she heard of the Afro-centric idea. Mary recognizes that Greeks from that time did in fact travel to Egypt and report of seeing “people of color” but that it did not matter to the people of that time what skin tone everyone was (Lefkowitz 13). In this statement, Mary gives the information that Ancient Egypt was a civilization of people with colored skin but she never explicitly states that Egypt is a black civilization. She also mentions to include that during that era, racial hierarchy was not an idea invented yet. This statement is true, but Mary includes this piece to try and brush off the evidence from the Ancient Greeks of Egypt being a black civilization.
The Afro-centerists argument is heavily backed by various kinds of evidence that support Ancient Egypt being a black civilization. As mentioned earlier, Martin Bernal is an Afro-centerist who wrote a three volume series on Ancient Egypt. He specialized in Asian culture but joined the argument about Ancient Egypt because he realized the significance of the civilization and how it affected other civilizations of that time. After Mary Lefkowitz wrote her book opposing the Afro-centeric argument, Martin Bernal wrote a review that exploits her flaws within her argument. One the argument of the Greek historian Herodotus, Mary claims that the documentation of his trip must have been mistranslated and therefore the account is inaccurate (Bernal 4). The point Martin makes here is some of the evidence that Mary and other scholars who argue against the Afro-centeric theory use is debatable evidence in order to try and prove their points. A lot of times they will try to disprove the evidence to which Afro-centerists use by “discrediting” some of the historical sources. Also, many of the theories which include the migration of Middle Easterners or Europeans are just that, theories. When there was a migration and infusion between civilizations who would eventually take hold over Egypt, it was further in the timeline when Egypt was already developed. Many of the pieces of evidence from Ancient Egypt and Greece from that time will often support the idea that Egypt was a black civilization.
The fight for the claim on Ancient Egypt is important for any nation, but there is a special emphasis on the importance for Africans to claim it as their own. Just like Mary Lefkowitz said, the hierarchy of races was not an idea during the time of Ancient Egypt and Greece. People did not look at others and judge them based on skin tone, people were judged based on culture and values. The foundation for racism was formed during a time of European imperialism. The Europeans needed reasons to culitvate Africa and eventually begin the infamous slave trade. The rise in the argument about Ancient Egypt being a black civilization arose during this time period, which the Europeans could not allow. Having Africans claim the most prosperous civilization in the world would mean that Africans are fully capable of having functioning societies and could even be considered equal to Europeans and other groups. Since the rise of European imperialism, the perceptions about Africa have been mostly negative. Many people believe in a primitive Africa and that it is one of the more dangerous parts of the world, but throughout a lot of Africa that is not the case. For Africans to claim Ancient Egypt as theirs, it would be revolutionary to the world’s view on the African culture.
Macks Creations 