Everyone has heard the term “white washing” at some point in their life. It’s a phrase coined to describe European countries writing revisionist history to change the physical look of how major figures of the past looked. For example in most places in America Jesus is depicted as a white man, when he was most likely of a much darker tone according to scientists, and the country he lived in.
White washing is at the center of a recent controversy involving a post Museum Archive aka Artifacts Hub made on Twitter. They post artifacts with great historical value, and have around 700K followers. People believe Museum Archive posted a white washed King Ramses II facial reconstruction picture.
The facial reconstruction was based off his alleged mummy, and the end product had very white skin, and blonde hair.
These were some reactions to the alleged white washed Pharaoh Ramses II photo.
What Color Should King Ramses II Be?
King Ramses II’s true skin color is still at the center of many debates today. Some scientists believe he had unique traits such as red hair, which turned a grey color when he got old. Various Egyptian scholars say King Ramses II wasn’t black or white, but a mixture of genes due to European groups slowly coming into North Africa during a 2000 year timespan before he came along. There is one theory that Pharaoh Ramses II was part of group that ruled over Libya. Some historians say Egyptians depicted Libyans as having very light skin during that time period.
Even with the uncertainty around his true skin color it’s easy to see why some people would believe they white washed King Ramses II in that facial reconstruction, just based on the fact most historians would probably agree he wasn’t white.
