Special Report
Was Cleopatra A Black Woman!

By Robert N. Taylor
Thursday, February 16, 2006

Was the famous Egyptian Queen and ruler Cleopatra a Black woman? And what evidence exists to decide the issue one way or another?

First of all, we could find no definitive evidence from the ancient texts which clearly state Cleopatra’s race or color. Further, the camp of scholars who say she was definitely White as well as the camp which says she was without a doubt Black both rely on assumptions and anecdotal information which by themselves do not and cannot definitively decide the issue.

Thus, let us state what we know. Ancient Egypt was a predominantly Black nation owning its origin more so to African peoples from the areas of ancient Ethiopia and Nubia than to the peoples of the Middle East . Therefore, the original and foundation population was a Black population. Nevertheless, Egypt was the center of the ancient world. As such and as a result of the fertile Nile Valley , trade and invasions Egypt absorbed peoples from throughout the ancient world ranging from Mesopotamians (ancient Iraqis) to the early Jews of the Christian Bible. It was also invaded by a host of people including the Hyksos, a mysterious group call the Sea Peoples, the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans.

The net result of all this intermingling was that over time the people of Northern (called Lower Egypt because of the flow of the Nile) Egypt became more mixed or lighter in complexion that the people of Southern (Upper) Egypt.

As for Cleopatra, the foundation of her family lineage was Macedonian Greek. Alexander the Great died shortly after conquering Egypt . After his death, control of Egypt fell around 305 BC to one of his generals named Ptolemy. He established the Ptolemy line of Pharaohs who ruled Egypt for the next 200 years. Cleopatra was the last pharaoh in the Ptolemy line.

Now, for those who would have us believe that Cleopatra was White, the above fact settles the issue. They say she was Macedonian Greek and that’s the end of it. However, to accept their position requires that one believe that for over 200 years there was no intermarriage or even intercourse between the Ptolemy line and members of the native Egyptian population.

Such a position is impossible to believe, especially given the fact that the ancient Greeks virtually idolized the Egyptians and their institutions. Indeed, shortly after conquering Egypt , Alexander the Great visited the Great Pyramid at Gisa and declared himself son of the Egyptian god Ammon Ra. Without in any way diminishing the accomplishments of the ancient Greeks themselves, the historical record is clear that the Greeks adopted everything Egyptian from many of their gods to most of their laws. The writings of Greeks ranging from Aristotle to Herodotus are full of praise and admiration for the Egyptians. Aristotle, considered one of the wisest men who ever lived, praises the Egyptians in his Metaphysika saying among other things, “Egypt was the cradle of mathematics because the caste of priests were given great leisure, schole.”

Thus, it is impossible to believe that the Ptolemy line or any other Greeks would have separated themselves from and not intermarried with a people they so greatly admired.

Specifically regarding Cleopatra, let us establish that there were several Cleopatra’s in Egyptian history. The one of legend and about which most people speak was actually Cleopatra VII. She was the daughter of Ptolemy XII called Auletes and Cleopatra V known as Tryphaenea.

If Cleopatra VII had any Black blood, it would have come from her father’s side of the family. There is some reason to believe that Auletes’ mother – Cleopatra’s grand mother – was a Black woman. There is little doubt that Auletes himself was not a pure Macedonian Greek. His birth was frequently referred to as being “irregular on his mother’s side.” This almost certainly means that his mother – Cleopatra’s grandmother – was not Macedonian Greek. But was she Black? This is where I part company with those Afrocentric historians who say Cleopatra was definitely Black. There is simply no description or labeling of Cleopatra’s grandmother to be found in the ancient historical record. We simply do not know for sure whether Cleopatra’s grandmother was a Black woman. All we can be reasonably sure of is that Cleopatra was of mixed ethnic or racial background. She was part Macedonian Greek and part something else.

Finally, the fact that Auletes’ mother may have been Black did not seem to bother the Greeks. His mixed background was known and he still became pharaoh. It was the Romans who caused the problem and may have indirectly caused the destruction of the information which could have established whether or not Cleopatra was Black.

At this time (80 BC to 51 BC) Auletes – Ptolemy XII – was paying tribute to Rome as both an ally and to avoid being invaded. Our research suggests that a move began in the Roman Senate to challenge Auletes’ right to be Egyptian Pharaoh in the Ptolemy line because he was not pure Macedonian Greek. Auletes (a scoundrel and playboy who spent little time actually ruling Egypt ) did two things to beat back the challenge to his rule. He bribed two powerful Roman senators – Ceasar and Crassus – to block the issue from coming up in the Roman Senate and just in case that failed he began hiding and destroying evidence about his mother. This is probably the reason that today we can find so little evidence about his mother’s background.

The bottom line is that Cleopatra VII was not pure Macedonian Greek. She was almost certainly of mixed ethnic or racial background. That mixture may have been a grandmother who was Black but we simply do not know for sure because Auletes appears to have hidden evidence of his mother’s background in order to defeat a Roman (not Greek or Egyptian) challenge to his rule.

(Robert N. Taylor welcomes comments and suggestions. He can be reached at SirajT12@yahoo.com or
202-486-8103)