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Author Topic: Questions and Answers about Ancient Egyptian soceity
ausar
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Where the Egyptians a mono-racial entity?

The answer to this question is No. Ancient or Modern Egyptians were never one mono-racial entity,nor was there ever one element in Egyptian soceity. In Modern Egypt you will see great diversity depending on which direction of Egypt you visit. Although due to historical circumstance,migrations of people can to Egypt at various times from Neolithic to present day,but overall none of these waves completely replaced the entire Egyptian population.


Was Egypt a African civlization?

Yes,in language and culture Egyptians had more in common with African groups than Near-Eastern or European soceity. Some elements within cultures are universial traits,but Egyptians share many conformities with other African people. With this established,it should be pointed out that Egyptian soceity also embraced elements that were also found in other Western Asian soceities,because Egypt was a hetrogenous population.


Did ''black'' people exist in Egyptian soceity?

By this comment you will get various responces from different affilitated groups that have a definition of what exactly blackness is or how it should be measured. Modern Egyptians are less likley to talk about such occurance because it is of little vaule to their reality. Since the Western construct is deeply imbeded in the reality of most people then it becomes a relative conversation. The only answer to this question is that black people in Egyptian soceity have existed from the most remote times to present times. Many modern Egyptians by Western standards would be considered such. In the past racist anthropolotgist like Sir Grafton Smith have fabricated some ''mythical black slaves'' that were imported into Egypt soceity that somehow blackened the Egyptian population,and,of course,it should be noted that Sir Grafton Smith was also a racialist of his time period. His theories on racial matters can be discarded;however his views on the X-rays of mummies can be taken as relative infomration.


Why do many mummies have light colored hair or ''striaght hair''

This is one of the grave errors often assorted to by people to prove the Egyptians were ethnically like European,but fail to regonize that embalming of the mummy lightens hair and breaks down bonds. In pre-Dyanstic mummies hair can be turned different colors by salts in the sand.

see the following:

J Synchrotron Radiat. 2003 Sep 1;10(Pt 5):387-92.
Microbeam synchrotron imaging of hairs from Ancient Egyptian mummies.
Bertrand L, Doucet J, Dumas P, Simionovici A, Tsoucaris G, Walter P.
Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musees de France, UMR 171
du CNRS, 6 Rue des Pyramides, Paris, France.
Developments in microfocus synchrotron techniques have led to new
results regarding the long-term alteration of archaeological samples
of biological origin. Here, ancient hair samples from two Egyptian
mummies have been analyzed using a conjunction of structural and
elemental synchrotron methods. In this favored context of
conservation, structural analysis revealed a remarkable preservation
of keratin supramolecular organization at any observed length scale.
Bulk keratin structure has therefore not been modified significantly
over 2000 years. However, infrared spectroscopy indicated a partial
disorganization of keratins close to the hair surface through
polypeptide bond breakage. Elemental mapping showed a strongly
heterogeneous distribution which can be related to mummification and
cosmetic treatments.


Like the mummy of her husband the wrappings of the mummy of Thuya had
been severly damaged by robbers. The bandages have been covered wioth
black resin,which still bear the impression of stolen jewerly.
The mummy presents some unusual features for the Period. The
emablimng incision is almost vertical and has been sewn up with a
string. No plate covers the wound,which gapes open,exposing the linen
packing filling the body cavity.
The arms are fully extended with the palms of the hand flattened
against the thighs.
The mummy is of a small old lady with typical Egyptian features who
was possibly over fifty when she died.
Thuya has scantly white hair,know turned yellow by the materials
used in the embalimng \, On the top her head the hair is very thing
much like a pony tail in photographs,are in fact,the remains of the
linen wrappings around the head and back of the neck of the mummy
page 112-113
Faces of the Pharoahs
Robert Parthiage

From: Rogers, Spencer Lee, _Personal identification from human
remains_ 1987, "Hair often survives for a considerable time after
death and can be recognized as to color and to some extent texture. A
study in which hair was buried experimentally in the soil for a two
year period revealed that there was no appreciable change until after
one month, but it became streaked and brittle after one year. Two
years was found to be the maximum duration of Caucasian hair buried
underground." (p.8) On the same page it reads: "The color o feyes
during life cannot be determined from their appearance on a cadaver
since all eyes become a greenish brown shortly after death."


What do the individual artifacts say about the ethnicity of the Egyptian population?

Individual artifacts,tomb depictions,and various other sculptures show Egyptians were a hetrogenous population. For instance,the reserve heads dating to the 4th dyansty totaling more than 32 show mostly Egyptians from Lower Egypt,but there is a lone reserve head that was negriod most likley representing a Upper Egyptian. George Resinger,a ethnocentric Egyptologist,though this negriod reserve head was a Nubian wife of an Egyptian owner,but new reserch shows that this is indeed an Egyptian and shows parraels with other 4th dyansty rulers. Another such statue is pointed out the following by Frank Joseph Yurco:

In the Cairo Museum, there is just such a statue of wood of a man called Ny-ankh-Pepy-kem, or Ny-ankh-Pepy the black. He shows all the characteristics of the darker southern Upper Egyptian type.
Frank J. Yurco University of Chicago -- Frank Joseph Yurco fjyurco@midway.uchicago.edu
There is also a statue called Sheikh El Beled that is similar to the modern population in Egypt around Giza.

Reserve Head of a Man. Giza; Fourth Dynasty, probably reign of Khufu (ca. 2551–2528 B.C.E.). Limestone; H. 11 7/8 in. (30 cm). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Harvard University–Museum of Fine Arts Expedition (14.719).

Although each reserve head has characteristics that make it unique, this example stands out from the group. It is one of the largest and is the most perfectly preserved, exhibiting none of the intentional damage found on others. Excavated in a shaft with another head, this one was originally identified as the Nubian wife of the tomb owner. Recent study, however, suggests that it probably represents the male owner of the tomb. Although the face has affinities with later depictions of Nubians, it also bears a striking resemblance to statues of Fourth Dynasty kings and undoubtedly represents an Egyptian. The variations among reserve heads probably reflect the diversity in Egypt's population.
<el_pyramid_Intro.htm> <el_pyramid_Intro.htm> http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/new_pyramid/PYRAMIDS/HTML/el_pyramid_head2.htm


Where did the civlization of ancient Egypt most likley originate,or where did the first pharoahs of Egypt come from?

Most likley new archeological evidence shows the first Egyptian per-aa came from around Nekhen and El Kab in Upper Egypt. This correlates with the Badarian,Naquda,and A-group population that played apart in the formation of Egyptian soceity. It should be noted that most of the Egyptians living around these areas today have dark brown skin with a kinky hair texture.

See the following:


That is why I stated
earlier in the previous post, that yes, had we good depictions of the
First-Second Dynasty rulers, who originated from Nekhen, way south in
Upper Egypt, they should be dark brown in complexion as the people in
those areas were in all subsequent periods down to the present day.

So again, if there were such individuals in the north, they well might
be descendants of these royals from Nekhen. Such may be the case with
Djoser, the first king of whom we have portrait quality statues and
reliefs, and yes, known to be a son of Khasekhemwy, the last ruler of
Dynasty 2, he does appear like a southern Egyptian in type.

Most sincerely,

Frank J. Yurco
University of Chicago


--
Frank Joseph Yurco fjyurco@midway.uchicago.edu

[url] http://www.egyptarchive.co.uk/images/petrie_museum/06_petrie.jpg [/url] Here is a sculpture of the supposed head of Narmer
http://www.egyptsearch.com/forums/ubbcode.html

More questions answered later. Be sure to add your questions about ancient Egypt as well to the conversation

[This message has been edited by ausar (edited 24 January 2004).]


Posts: 8675 | From: Tukuler al~Takruri as Ardo since OCT2014 | Registered: Feb 2003  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Kem-Au
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As usual, well said. Hopefully the next time we have this discussion, it will be because someone brought something new to the table.
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Amwa
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I wanted to add that in West Africa you had
the empires of Ghana,Mali,and Songhai and
they also were heterogeneous.Each were founded by black clans but eventually white
Berbers and Arabs settled amongst them during
the height of their kingdoms.The majority of
the population was black but their was a
minority of foreigners who came there to live
and study.

Also,the Malian architecture is considered
related to the Sudanese,which is related to
the ancient Kemetian.


Posts: 74 | From: atlanta,ga | Registered: Dec 2003  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
ausar
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Malian architecture is related to Pre-Islamic Western African architecture. The remains at ancient Ghanian city Kumbi Saleh attest to this. Don't confuse the Western Sudan with the country Sudan. The reason why these two are confused is because of the general term ''Bilad Sudan'' to mean general areas of Africa.


Posts: 8675 | From: Tukuler al~Takruri as Ardo since OCT2014 | Registered: Feb 2003  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
   

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