3/4 of Cleopatra's grandparents are unknown. Her father was illegitimate with an unknown mother and called bastard by others. Cleo's mother is unknown. Her sister or half-sister's mother is unknown.
I just watched a documentary about her sister Arsinoe whose tomb was found. Forensic scientists studied her skeleton and were able to recreate a 3-D model of her skull. They determined her gender, age, social-class, attractiveness, health, death, and race. They easily and quickly determined she was part black which confirmed the findings of previous scientists decades ago.
I was hoping to see her skeletal remains because I studied anatomy years ago and wanted to try to decide for myself. It was very obvious to me she had black ancestry, also. Same with other Egyptian remains I've previously seen.
This Netflix documentary is the SECOND documentary to speculate that Cleo could've been racially-mixed. The first one which aired a few years ago in the UK didn't receive the racist backlash.
Reality is that Greek artists made her look Greek, Egyptians made her look Egyptian and Romans made her look Roman.
Roman. Exaggerated big nose and jutting chin equaled strength for men. And women were made to look like their husband. I read that this coin was used for the Berlin sculpture so she probably wasn't ugly after all and pretty like her sister.
https://www.artic.edu/artworks/194522/tetradrachm-coin-portraying-queen-cleopatra-vii
Egyptian. Notice full lips and broad nose.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra#/media/File:Ptolemaic_Queen_(Cleopatra_VII?),_50-30_B.C.E.,_71.12.jpg
The same people saying she was only Greek then say she had some Persian and Sogdian Iranian ancestry. It's the black ancestry which enrages them. Why?
BTW, kings/pharaohs definitely had concubines. A monogamous king? LOL!
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HarveyManFredSin (4877)
a year ago
"This Netflix documentary is the SECOND documentary to speculate that Cleo could've been racially-mixed. The first one which aired a few years ago in the UK didn't receive the racist backlash."
Probably because the UK documentary was treating her ancestry as speculation, and basing its theory on evidence (i.e. the skeletal remains, which have since been debunked), whilst this 'documentary' is more of a docu-drama that is treating Cleopatra's 'Black ancestry' as indisputable fact. By all means, speculate, but don't categorically state something as fact on the basis of very tenuous and threadbare evidence. You're saying that Cleopatra could *possibly* have been Black, but it's all based on the possibility that her father had an affair with a Black concubine. There's nothing solid here, but simple speculation.
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Keelai (32690)
a year ago
Both are docu-drama speculating. This program is based on the first program. I doubt that watched either of them.
No, it hasn't been debunked.
Pharaohs had concubines and lesser wives. At least he wasn't sleeping with his mother/sister/wife which was the thing in that screwed up family.
You have no problem with Persian, Iranian and Roman ancestry. But, black Egyptian bothers you. Why?
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