Was Queen Cleopatra black or white? Is Adele James a more accurate representation of the Egyptian Queen than Elizabeth Taylor? This is not the first and won’t be the last debate over Cleopatra’s race but the soon to be released Netflix series has angered the Egyptian authorities who are saying it’s a falsification of Egyptian history.
In fact, Egyptians antiquities ministry went as far as publishing a lengthy statement to confirm Cleopatra’s skin colour and facial features, and reassure that she had “white skin and Hellenistic characteristics”.
I didn’t know Cleopatra’s race was such a heated topic but the debate has been ongoing for decades apparently. Still I don’t understand the Egyptian authorities’ reaction as there are more important historical aspects worthy looking into once the series are out.
Let’s wait and see how the series turns out. The release date as mentioned in the title is May 10th.