by David Ng
‘Falsification of Egyptian History and a Blatant Historical Fallacy’
The Egyptian government has denounced Netflix’s upcoming docudrama series Queen Cleopatra, saying the streamer’s decision to portray the ancient queen as a black woman represents a “falsification of Egyptian history and a blatant historical fallacy.”
Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities issued a lengthy statement in a Facebook post Thursday in which it said Cleopatra had Hellenic, or Greek, features and was light-skinned, not black. The conclusion is based on artistic representations of Cleopatra as well as DNA research done on ancient Egyptian remains dating from the era.
Mostafa Waziri, who is secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in the statement that Netflix’s show represents a “falsification of Egyptian history and a blatant historical fallacy.”