What is the Egyptian race?

The era of the Pharaonic dynasties in ancient Egypt began around 3100 BC. It included the First and Second Dynasties, with which the recorded history of the era of these families begins. Long before that, the peoples of the Neolithic Age (about 9300-4000 BC) flourished, but these peoples have not been studied compared to their successors, the ancient Egyptians.

Today, amazing discoveries of ancient monuments and graves continue to tell us about the ways of life of the ancient Egyptian race and some of the secrets of the development that humanity has known throughout the ages.

Among these civilizations, the most intriguing to scholars and the general public is the ancient Egyptian race civilization, which was characterized by a society organized in amazing ways, built giant, eye-catching buildings, and developed unique systems of life. However, questions remain about the ethnic origins of the Egyptians, which is what we will discuss in detail next.

 Egyptian Race: Insights from Ancient Beliefs

Many studies and discoveries have been conducted in this regard, but scientists still need to figure out the answer to the question concerning the Egyptians’ race. Therefore, speculation has abounded, ranging from conspiracy theories to legendary stories and genetic tests on Egyptian race. Scientists relied heavily on studying hieroglyphic writings, exhuming graves, and examining mummies to provide a convincing answer about the origins of the Egyptians. Until now, humanity has still been far from knowing the complete truth in this matter.

 

As in other cultures in the world, the ancient Egyptian race also interpreted their origins according to the myths present in their beliefs, and they believed that “Ra” (the sun god) was the one who created the inhabitants of ancient Egypt. But apart from the myths about this matter concerning Egyptian race, academic research on Egyptian race that meets historical and scientific standards has been carried out. During the last century, it was believed that the origins of this civilization went back to a country called Punt, and this belief was based on ancient hieroglyphic writings. Still, the location of this country has not been precisely determined, and it may be located between the African coast and the Indian Ocean.

 

This belief indicates that these are the ancient inhabitants of Africa who settled on the banks of the Nile River. After they developed their local communities, invaders came from the north and took control of them. This gave room for the emergence of an advanced civilization that turned into a complete dynasty of ancient Egyptian rulers.

How Did the Debate About the Egyptian Race Begin?

With the escalation of controversy of the Egyptian race in the Western scientific community about the contributions of Africa to history due to their black color, the controversy also spread about the race and color of the ancient Egyptians. This controversy actually began a long time ago, since the emergence of the Afrocentrism movement in at least the seventies, when it was assumed that the ancient Egyptians were Africans from the south of the Sahara desert and they did not have any actual civilization.

 

Controversy of Egyptian race has escalated with the rise of Afrocentric theory decade after decade across the world. Resolving the race and color of the ancient Egyptian race remained without a conclusive scientific answer, so scientists began to take citations for ideas from a sample of evidence from statues of ancient Egyptian kings, for example, but the DNA sequencing of mummies did not help much in this issue, so it remained unable to resolve; Given the difficulty of obtaining accurate results on the condition of mummies after they have been mummified for thousands of years.

 

What do scientists think today of the Egyptian race?

Besides popular theories and myths, scientists continue to conduct research and make tangible progress in reaching the truth or at least providing more realistic and solid explanations. It is currently believed that the origins of the Egyptian race go back to before the advent of writing, a period in human history called “prehistoric times,” located between the Stone and Bronze Ages.

 

It is believed that in about 6 thousand BC, a group of residents came to settle on the banks of the Nile Valley. Egyptians race were originally sheepherders who came from Libya and Numidia in North Africa, and after them came other groups of nomads from Ethiopia and the Arabian Peninsula, and it may be the union of all these races. It is the factor that led to the rise of ancient Egyptian civilization.

 

Genetic tests put an end to the Egyptian race controversy!

Scientists succeeded for the first time in identifying the entire DNA composition of the ancient Egyptians race, which showed that the Pharaohs were genetically closer to those currently living in Europe and the Near East than to the current Egyptians. Researchers identified this genetic makeup of Egyptian race by examining mummies that were buried in an archaeological area on the banks of the Nile. This area was inhabited between 3250 BC and 700 AD, and it formed a stronghold for the worship of the god Osiris, who the ancient Egyptians believed was the god of resurrection and reckoning, which made it an ideal place to bury the dead.

 

It is reported that complete DNA sequences were obtained from three mummies and samples from the remains of 90 people, all dating back to the period between 1400 BC and 400 AD. The scientists who conducted the study said that the genetic characteristics that were identified are different “from those that characterize current Egyptians,” and are closer to samples taken from populations of Europe and the Near East, which is a region that includes countries such as Turkey and Armenia. They pointed out that the analyses they conducted reveal that “the ancient Egyptians were closer in lineage to the inhabitants of the Near East than they are to the current Egyptians.”

 

The primary goal of this study was to find out if Egyptians were related to other races that might seem isolated from them, such as the Caucasian race, which is prevalent in Europe, North Africa, and Asia. For this purpose, they compared the DNA found in Egyptian mummies with the DNA of the current population of Egypt in order to determine the differences in the development of this race and to determine the mixing and cross-fertilization that occurred between the races due to migration. The result was amazing!

 

Scientists were astonished after it turned out that despite 5,000 years of evolution having passed, which is a long period that separated the ancient Egyptian race from the present, no major changes occurred in the DNA. This means that the population of Egypt has maintained its characteristics since that period, although there is a slight difference in the genes that indicate ancestors. Scientists found that ancient mummies clearly showed Middle Eastern genes, while current Egyptians were more closely related to sub-Saharan Africa.