Origins of the Egyptians in Northeastern Africa

In spite of  the  evidence  against  scientific  race,  both Egyptologists and  Afrocentric  scholars  often  continue  attempts  to  define  the  Egyptians  as  members  of  an  essentialist  racial  category,  usually  attempting to link them either to a supposed  "Caucasoid"  or  "Negroid/Africoid"  phenotype.  Such  models  imply  that  the  founders  of  pharaonic  Egypt  came  from  sub-Saharan  Africa,  western  Asia,  or  Europe/Trans-caucasus.  While there was some immigration from all these areas, physical  anthropology  has  demonstrated  the  fundamental  continuity  of  ancient  and  modern Egyptian populations.  The  evidence  also  points  to  linkages  to  other  northeastern  African  peoples,  not  coincidentally  approximating  the  modern  range  of  languages  closely  related  to  Egyptian  in  the  Afro-Asiatic  group  (formerly  called Hamito-Semitic). These linguistic similarities place ancient  Egyptian  in a  close  relationship  with  languages  spoken  today  in  northeastern  Africa  as  far  west  as  Chad  and  south  to  Somalia.  Archaeological evidence also strongly supports an African origin.  A widespread northeastern African cultural assemblage, including  distinctive  multiple  barbed  harpoons  and  pottery  decorated  with  dotted wavy line patterns, appears during the early Neolithic (also  known  as  the  Aqualithic,  a  reference  to  the  mild  climate  of  the  Sahara at this time). Saharan and Sudanese rock art from this time  resembles  early  Egyptian  iconography.  Strong  connections  between  Nubian  (Sudanese)  and  Egyptian  material  culture  continue in the later Neolithic Badarian culture of Upper Egypt.  Similarities  include  black-topped  wares,  vessels  with  characteristic  ripple-burnished  surfaces,  a  special  tulip-shaped  vessel  with  incised  and  white-filled  decoration,  palettes,  and  harpoons, The presence of formative pharaonic symbolism in the  Lower  Nubian  A-Group  royal  burials  at  Qustui  has  led  Bruce  Williams to posit a common Egyptian-Nubian pharaonic heritage,  although  this  notion  has  been  much  disputed.  Other  ancient  Egyptian  practices  show  strong  similarities  to  modern  African  cultures, including divine kingship, the use of headrests, body art,  circumcision,  and  male  coming-of-age  rituals,  all  suggesting  an  African substratum or foundation for Egyptian civilization (rather  than  diffusion  from  sub-Saharan  Africa,  as  claimed  by  some  Afrocentric scholars).

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