The Controversy Over the Ethnicity of Cleopatra VII

[Rev. Rye]

I can understand the desire to showcase the accomplishments of darker-skinned people, and the desire to show the world that some historical figures might not have been as lily-white as previously claimed to be.

That said, from what I've been able to gather, Cleopatra most likely wasn't black. Most of her ancestors were Greek, with some Syrian from Cleopatra I, the last bit of non-Ptolemaic genetic material in her bloodline. At most, she'd probably be a bit brown.

Also, I'm surprised how few popular sources point out that Cleopatra's family tree was basically a stump.

Seriously, there's loads of Ancient Egyptian pharaohs who probably could have passed for black. Hell, you could have even gone with some other female pharaohs like Hatshepsut and Nefertiti. Indeed, if you were more interested in something closer to the era of Caesar, Amanirenas was the Queen of Kush (in modern-day Sudan) shortly after Cleopatra and Antony killed themselves and even tried to take over Egypt herself. She was unsuccessful, but she certainly held her own against Caesar Augustus.