There is evidence which supports the view that ancient Egyptians often depicted human skin color faithfully in their artworks (e.g. in images associated with the Book of Gates,[1]: 151  appearing on the murals of the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I and of Sennedjem in Deir el-Medina, and on murals of Ramses II's temples,[2]: 7  in Nubia).[3] In most artistic depictions of Ahmose-Nefertari, she is pictured with black skin.[4] In the early 20th century, Flinders Petrie spoke of "a black queen",[5] Ahmose-Nefertari, who was the "divine ancestress of the XVIIIth dynasty". He described her physically as having "an aquiline nose, long and thin, and was of a type not in the least prognathous".[6] In 1961 Alan Gardiner wrote of the paintings of Ahmose-Nefertari that she was "depicted for some unaccountable reason with a black countenance, but also sometimes with a blue one; if she was a daughter of Kamose she will have had no black blood in her veins."[7] In 1974, Cheikh Anta Diop described her as "typically negroid."[8]: 17  In the book Black Athena, Martin Bernal (grandson of Egyptologist Alan Gardiner) regarded her skin color in paintings as a clear sign of Nubian ancestry.[9]

  1. ^ "THE SHORT FORM OF THE BOOK OF ẠM-ṬUAT", The Egyptian Heaven and Hell: Volume II (Routledge Revivals), Routledge, pp. 1–42, 2014-08-01, ISBN 978-1-315-76286-9, retrieved 2020-11-20
  2. ^ Ramzy, Nelly (2015-06-19). "THE GENIUS LOCI AT THE GREAT TEMPLE OF ABU SIMBEL: HERMENEUTIC READING IN THE ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TEMPLES OF RAMSES II IN NUBIA". JOURNAL OF ANCIENT HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY. 2 (2). doi:10.14795/j.v2i2.106. ISSN 2360-266X.
  3. ^ Mark, Joshua J. "Color in Ancient Egypt". Ancient History Encyclopedia.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Gitton, Michel (1973). "Ahmose Nefertari, sa vie et son culte posthume". École Pratique des Hautes études, 5e Section, Sciences Religieuses. 85 (82): 84. doi:10.3406/ephe.1973.20828. ISSN 0183-7451.
  5. ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(still image) Neues Reich. Theben [Thebes]: Der el Medînet [Dayr al-Madînah Site]: Stuckbild aus Grab 10. [jetzt im K. Museum zu Berlin.], (1849 - 1856)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  6. ^ Petrie 1939, p. 155.
  7. ^ Gardiner, Alan H. (1961). Egypt of the Pharaohs: an introduction. Oxford: Oxford University press., p.175
  8. ^ Mokhtar, G. (1990). General History of Africa II: Ancient Civilizations of Africa. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. p. 1-118. ISBN 978-0-520-06697-7.
  9. ^ Martin Bernal (1987), Black Athena: Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization. The Fabrication of Ancient Greece, 1785-1985, vol. I. New Jersey, Rutgers University Press