Cleopatra controversy continues as Egypt’s antiquities ministry responds to Netflix director

Debate over the race of Queen Cleopatra is nothing new. But the argument got a shot in the arm recently when Tina Gharavi, the director of Netflix docuseries African Queens, wrote an essay arguing that their Black lead actor (Adele James) was a more correct choice than previous white stars like Elizabeth Taylor, and seemingly that it was more likely for her have been Black than Greek or Arab. Now, the antiquities ministry of Egypt has weighed in on the topic (presumably, not for the first time).

“Bas-reliefs and statues of Queen Cleopatra are the best proof,” the ministry’s statement said (via The Independent). The ministry asserted that the ancient ruler had “white skin and Hellenistic characteristics.” According to NBC News, the ministry went so far as to argue that because African Queens is a documentary, it “requires those in charge of its production to investigate accuracy and rely on historical and scientific facts.”

The series has provoked a heated response from Egyptians in particular, with secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr. Mostafa Waziri declaring that the series is a “falsification of Egyptian history and a blatant historical fallacy” in his own statement (per NBC). While Gharavi rebuked Egyptians accusing her of “blackwashing” and expressed incredulousness that these critics were so adamant about Cleopatra’s Greek heritage (“Oh, Lawd! Why would that be a good thing to you, Amir? You’re Egyptian”), Waziri emphasized that the argument is “far from any ethnic racism.” Instead, he stressed that the calls for historical accuracy are made with “full respect for African civilizations and for our brothers in the African continent that brings us all together.”

The renewed debate is unlikely to solve this centuries-old mystery. Not to mention, other historians have argued that applying modern notions of race to ancient historical figures is irrelevant, so perhaps the point is moot anyway.