African culture and history

[Sentenza]

I meant this topic to discuss african culture to challenge racist views and at the same time to debunk some afrocentric myths.
Were the ancient egyptians black? Were the Olmecs of african origin? What did black people achieve in history? Whats your take on it, have they been belittled or is too much political correctness going on?
Put your thoughts about everything thats on your mind concerning this topic here, as i put some stuff together...

[Sentenza]

First of all some examples of ancient cultures in africa. Randomly selected by me.

Nilo-Saharan Language Group

From around the eighth millennium BCE a group of cultures developed along the lakes and rivers which extended from Lake Rudolf in East Africa, along the upper reaches of the Nile, and across to the bend in the Niger River in West Africa. These cultures were predominantly related through a common agricultural system based on the exploitation of river and lake food resources. From the sixth millennium BCE the region was increasingly affected by the desertification of the Sahara to the north, resulting in the isolation of several groups across the continent. It is believed that this isolation explains the linguistic drift now identified in the various members of the Nilo-Saharan language group.

In the west these groups are associated with kingdoms, states and empires which formed the southern end of trans-Saharan trade routes. Songhai, for example, which is now spoken by upwards of one million people, is the language of a once expansive African empire which stretched for several thousand kilometres along the Niger River.

The Saharan branch of the language group is still spoken in north-eastern Nigeria, across into Chad and north into the oasis settlements of southern Libya. Kanuri, the most predominant of the Saharan branch is spoken by upwards of one-and-a-half million people today.

From the northern end of Chad, across The Sudan, down into Uganda and Kenya, and across into the northern end of the DRC, is a another branch of Nilo-Saharan language group known as Chari-Nile. This includes the Nilotic language sub-group of Dinka, Nuer, Shilluk, and Acholi (also known as Luo).

The Nilo-Saharan language group was originally defined in 1963 by the American linguist and anthropologist Joseph Greenberg. Of the four major language groups identified in Africa (the others being Afro-Asiatic, Niger-Congo, and KhoiSan) Nilo-Saharan is the most controversial. Debate continues today as to whether it is actually a language group in its own right, or a sub-group of the wider spread Niger-Congo group. Of the four language groups it exhibits the largest linguistic drift, and is often used to perpetuate the Euro-centric explanation for the spread of iron working from north Africa through trade rather than independent development by sub-Saharan cultures.

Nok Culture

In 1943 clay shards were discovered during tin mining operations on the southern and western slopes of the Jos Plateau. When reconstructed they were found to be representations of human heads and animals. At the time no archaeologists were present in the region and reconstruction work was carried out by art historians. The disturbance caused by the mining operations meant that the finds could not be dated with any accuracy.

Similar discoveries have been made across a large region of the plateau, stretching 500 km east to west and 300 km north to south. Both the terracotta sculptures and the society which made them are known by the name of the village near to which the first discovery was made: Nok.

Since 1943 archaeological studies, especially at two important sites at Taruga and Samun Dukiya, have provided more accurate information. The pottery has been dated, mainly by thermo-luminescence testing and radio-carbon dating, to a period from 500 BCE to 200 CE. In addition to the Nok terracotta sculptures, domestic pottery, stone axes and other tools, and iron implements have been discovered. The Nok Culture spanned the end of the Neolithic (Stone Age) and start of the Iron Age in sub-Saharan Africa.

Archaeological evidence at the two sites suggest that these were permanent settlements, and centres for farming and manufacturing - this is the oldest evidence for an organised society in sub-Saharan Africa.

Iron working, smelting and fabrication of iron tools became widespread in the region form around 350 BCE. Archaeologists disagree whether this was an independent development (methods of smelting may have derived form the use of kilns for firing terracotta) or whether the skill was brought south form the North African coast by traders (records suggest that Phoenician traders were crossing (what is now) the Sahara at that time.

Nok culture terracottas are heralded as the prime evidence of pre-colonial civilization in sub-Saharan Africa, and it is suggested that the society eventually evolved into the later Yoruba kingdom of Ife. Later brass and terracotta sculptures of the Ife and Benin cultures show significant similarities with those found at Nok.

Aksum of Ethiopia

Aksum (also spelled Axum) is the name of a powerful, urban Iron Age Kingdom in Ethiopia, that flourished in the centuries before and after the time of Christ.

The modern city of Aksum is located in the northeastern portion of what is now Ethiopia, on the horn of Africa. It lies high on a plateau 7200 ft above sea level, and in its heyday, its region of influence included both sides of the Red Sea. An early text shows that trade on the Red Sea coast was active as early as 1st century BC. During the first century AD, Aksum began a rapid rise to prominence, trading its agricultural resources and its gold and ivory through the port of Adulis into the Red Sea trade network and thence to the Roman Empire. Trade through Adulis connected eastward to India as well, providing Aksum and its rulers a profitable connection between Rome and the east.
Aksum Chronology

* Pre-Aksumite ~700-400 BC Sites: Kidane Mehret, Hwalti, Melka, LP56
* Proto-Aksumite ~400-50 BC
* Early Aksumite ~50 BC-AD 150 Mai Agam, TgLM 143
* Classic Aksumite ~AD 150-400/450 LP 37, TgLM 98, Kidane Mehret
* Middle Aksumite ~AD 400/450-550
* Late Aksumite ~AD 550-700 Kidane Mehret
* Post-Aksumite after ~AD 700

Aksum and the Written Histories

One reason we know what we do about Aksum is the importance placed on written documents by its rulers, particularly Ezana or Aezianas. In the early 4th century AD, Ezana spread his realm north and east, conquering the Nile Valley realm of Meroe and becoming ruler over part of both Asia and Africa. He constructed much of the monumental architecture of Aksum, including a reported 100 stone obelisks, the tallest of which loomed 98 ft over the cemetery in which it stood and weighed 517 tons. Ezana is also known for converting much of Ethiopia to Christianity, around 330 AD. One legend has it that the Ark of the Covenant containing the remnants of the 10 commandments of Moses was brought to Aksum, and Coptic monks have protected it ever since.

Aksum flourished until the 6th century AD, maintaining its trade connections and a high literacy rate, minting its own coins, and building monumental architecture. With the rise of the Persian empire in the 6th century AD, the Arabic world redrew the map of Asia and excluded the Axumite civilization from its trade network, and Aksum fell in importance. For the most part, the obelisks built by Ezana were destroyed; with one exception, which was looted in the 1930s by Benito Mussolini, and erected in Rome. In late April 2005, Aksum's obelisk was returned to Ethiopia.
Archaeological Studies at Aksum

Archaeological excavations at Aksum were first undertaken by Enno Littman in 1906, and concentrated on the monuments and the elite cemeteries. The British Institute in Eastern Africa excavated at Aksum beginning in the 1970s, under the direction of Neville Chittick and his student, Stuart Munro-Hay.
Sources

See the photo essay called The Royal Tombs of Aksum, written by the late excavator at Aksum, archaeologist Stuart Munro-Hay.

Phillipson, David W. 2005. African Archaeology, 3rd edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Phillipson, Laurel 2009 ]Lithic Artefacts as a Source of Cultural, Social and Economic Information: the evidence from Aksum, Ethiopia. African Archaeological Review 26:45–58.

This glossary entry is a part of the About.com Guide to the African Iron Age, and part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.

The Royal Tombs of Aksum
http://archaeology.about.com/od/ironage ... -of-Aksum/
Lithic Artefacts as a Source of Cultural, Social and Economic Information: the evidence from Aksum, Ethiopia
http://archaeology.about.com/gi/o.htm?z ... 009-9043-7


Songhay

After the decline of Mali, the kingdom of Gao reasserted itelf as the major kingdom in the Sahel. A Songhay kingdom in the region of Gao had existed since the eleventh century AD, but it had come under the control of Mali in 1325. In the late fourteenth century, Gao reasserted itself with the Sunni dynasty. Songhay would not fully eclipse Mali until the reign of the Sunni king, Sonni Ali, who reigned from 1464-1492.

Sonni Ali aggressively turned the kingdom of Gao into an empire, the Songhay empire. Sonni Ali based his military on a cavalry and a highly mobile fleet of ships. With this military, he conquered the cities of Timbuctu and Jenné, the major cities of the Sahel. The Berbers, who had always played such a crucial role in the downfall of Sahelian kingdoms, were pushed far north.

Sonni Ali was succeeded by Askia Muhammad Touré (1493-1528), who established a new dynasty, the Askia. Muhammad Touré continued Sonni Ali's imperial expansion by seizing the important Saharan oases and conquering Mali itself. From there he conquered Hausaland. In addition, Muhammad Touré further centralized the government by creating a large and elaborate bureaucracy to oversee his extensive empire. He was also the first to standardize weights, measures, and currency, so culture throughout the Songhay began to homogenize. Muhammad Touré was also a fervent Muslim; he replaced native Songhay administrators with Arab Muslims in order to Islamicize Songhay society. He also appointed Muslim judges, called qadis , to run the legal system under Islamic legal principles. These programs of conquest, centralization, and standardization were the most ambitious and far-reaching in sub-Saharan history until the colonization of the continent by Europeans. Songhay reached its greatest territorial expansion under Askia Daud (1549-1582), when the empire stretched all the way to Cameroon. With literally several thousand cultures under its control, Songhay was the largest empire in African history.

While the urban centers were dominated by Islam and Islamic culture, the non-urban areas were not Islamic. The large majority of the Songhay people—around 97%—followed traditional African religions.

Songhay, however, had gotten too large; it encompassed too much territory to control. After the reign of Askia Duad, subject peoples began to revolt even though Songhay had an army of over 35,000 soldiers. The first major region to go was Hausaland; then Maghreb (Morocco) rebelled and gained control over crucial gold mines. The Moroccans defeated Songhay in 1591 and the empire quickly collapsed. In 1612, the cities of Songhay fell into anarchy and the greatest empire of African history came to a sudden close.

Timbuktu: The El Dorado of Africa

Timbuktu is widely used to describe a place extremely far away and regarded by many as a myth. In reality it's a city in Mali, West Africa, of such great historical importance that in 1988 it was designated a World Heritage Site.
Situated on the southernmost edge of the Sahara Desert, Timbuktu is about eight miles from the Niger River -- closer during the rainy season. It was founded in the twelfth century by Tuareg nomads. By the fourteenth century it had became a major center for the trans-Sahara gold and salt trade as well Islamic scholarship and culture, the Oxford University of the Sahara, despite the rise and fall of powerful dynasties around it.
When the emperor Mansa Musa undertook an extravagant pilgrimage with an entourage of thousands from Timbuktu to Mecca via Cairo in 1324, he transformed European and Arabian perceptions about West Africa. Stopping in Cairo to visit the sultan, Musa gave away so much gold that the Egyptian money market crashed.
Musa built the Great Mosque (Djinguereber) and commissioned the Granada architect Abu Ishaq asSahil to design the Sankore mosque. The Sankore University was established around the mosque. The Great Mosque has been rebuilt many times, but the Sankore mosque still stands, probably because it was built around a wooden framework which aids the repairs necessary after the annual rains.
By the 1450s, the population reached some 100,000, a quarter of these were scholars, many of whom had studied in Egypt or Mecca. The city reached its peak during the Askia period (1403-1591). Merchants from North Africa came to trade salt, cloth and horses for gold and slaves. Leo Africanus, a Muslim from Granada, left a account of his visit in 1526, which renewed European interest in the "city of gold".
In 1591 Morocco captured Timbuktu. In 1593 its scholars were arrested on suspicion of disloyalty, some were killed and others exiled to Morocco. Even more devastating was the inability of the Moroccan troops in control of the city to protect it from repeated attacks by the Bambara, Fulani, and Tuareg. Timbuktu was in decline.
European explorers were still attempting to reach Africa's 'city of gold' but none had survived. In 1788 a group of Englishmen formed the Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa, primarily to discover the source of the Niger and reach Timbuktu. The race was on.
Most famous of the failures was Mungo Park. Robbed, tortured by warlords, and finally drowned when his raft was attacked, he did at least get to the Niger, "glittering to the morning sun, as broad as the Thames at Westminster."
In 1824 the Geographical Society of Paris offered a considerable reward for the first European to visit Timbuktu and return to tell their tale. The Scottish explorer Gordon Laing is acknowledged as the first European to reach Timbuktu, in 1826. He'd survived a savage attack by Tuareg nomads on his journey from Tripoli to Timbuktu, but was murdered two days after leaving the city.

It was only in 1828 that the first European who lived to tell the tale reached Timbuktu. The French explorer, René-Auguste Caillié disguised himself as an Arab -- he had studied Islam and could speak Arabic. His journey from the coast of West Africa to Timbuktu took him a year (he was ill for five months) but he was so unimpressed he spent only two weeks in the city. His three volumes of his adventures were published in 1830 and received the Geographical Society of Paris' prize.

Other explorers, such as the German geographer Heinrich Barth who visited the city during his five-year trek across Africa, also found the city an anticlimax. A city of mud-walled buildings in the middle of a harsh desert, not a city of gold. (View some illustration from his book Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa.)

Timbuktu was captured by the French in 1894 who partly restored the city; in 1960 it became part of the independent Republic of Mali. Today Timbuktu is still on the "must-do" list of adventurous travellers, but few have any idea why such a desolate city should be. With the restoration efforts started in the late 1990s to reclaim some of Timbuktu's heritage from the sands of the Sahara, there is hope that this can change.

http://africanhistory.about.com/od/king ... Africa.htm

Stone Circles of Senegambia
The Stone Circles of Senegambia are the largest group of megalithic complexes yet recorded in any region of the world. There are 1,053 Stone circles and a total of 28,931 monoliths. Their quality suggests sophisticated stone working traditions.

All circles are found near to burial mounds. Their date and purpose are still a matter of debate. The 8 to 14 stones in each circle vary in size up to ten-ton stones, from 1 to 2.5 metres high and are generally of laterite.

The stone circles lie in Gambia north of Janjanbureh and in central Senegal. Four separate locations were chosen to represent the complex:
- Kerbatch Central River Division (Gambia)
- Wassu Central River Division (Gambia)
- Sine Ngayène Kaolack (Senegal)
- Wanar Kaolack (Senegal)

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/ ... rcles.html

More to come. I didnt even mention ancient egypt yet, cause ill save that for later. I guess it is fair to say that there are strong indicators and that there is lots of proofs that highly developed cultures always have existeds in black africa.

[Sentenza]

This Video explains it best and most neutrally if you ask me.



They were a mixed people with strong black african influence. Perfectly makes sense to me.

[Sentenza]

An Introduction to Ancient African Inventions

Depending on whom you speak with, numerous cultures like to claim they were the first to come up with some of the most significant of scientific inventions in history. In this article, we will explore the contributions of ancient Africa in the world of science, including the use of stone tools and other very helpful items for survival.

Some of the most earliest and important inventions in science have been attributed to the ancient African culture. Evidence of early tools, the earliest use of fire, and the earliest use of numbers have been traced back to ancient African cultures. Around 1.9 million years ago, inhabitants of Africa started to form their own stone tools, which took place before significant changes regarding the human brain.

Key Factors and Habits of Ancient Africans

Early man in ancient African civilizations used their surroundings to their advantage to ensure the daily survival of self and family. They embraced the practical aspects of botany, biology, zoology, chemistry and meteorology. Menstrual, lunar and seasonal cycles played an important role in keeping time for the ancient Africans.

Contrary to popular belief, stone was not the only material that aided in the hunting and gathering of early man. Ancient Africans also learned to use wood (taken from tree limbs), leather, bone, and fibers from plants to their benefit. When it came to the herbs and other plant materials of their environment, these substances were used to create medicine, art supplies, cosmetics, shelter, clothing, and vessels to hold their food.

Ancient Inventions of African Culture

It is estimated that they learned how to harness the power of fire about 800,000 years ago and in some circles, it is believed that they learned much earlier. Around 250,000 years ago, it is said that the early people started to evolve into a more modern man. About 60,000 BC, explorers from Africa departed and went to seek out other places to settle at in parts of Australia and India. In later years, the Africans would find their way to West Asia, Europe, and China.

As for the Africans that chose to live in Africa, a large number of the people came up with an array of interesting inventions. For example, fish hooks were being made around 50,000 BC.

Other inventions linked to ancient African cultures and their impact include:

· To boost the outcome of their agriculture, the ancient Africans devised ways to aid in deliberately planting their seeds. Early man used tools, such as hoes, sticks for digging, and sickles to finish reaping jobs. Because of this, they were able to embrace a more intense method of cultivation. As a result, the population grew and a wider range of cultures in Africa was able to emerge.

Examples of Ancient African Inventions

From the way ancient Africans hunted for their food to evidence suggesting some of the early inventions that helped ancient cultures thrive, many advancements took place in many regions of Africa. In this article, you will learn about ancient practices that involved agriculture, art, basket making, weaving, and cloth making. Other inventions and techniques developed by the ancient Africans include:

· Bows and arrows helped the Africans hunt animals for food, as well as became a useful method of keeping their enemies on their toes.

· Advancements in agriculture also went hand in hand with the variety of livestock they were able to tend. Pigs, camels, horses, goats, cattle, and sheep were caught and later tamed. Meat became an increasing part of their diet. Changes in the structure and output of the animals that underwent domestication also benefited the Africans. Milk secretions increased, wool became plentiful, and the animal hair was used for weaving.

· Wall paintings of the ancient Egyptians depict the early use of plows. This invention involved an animal guided by a harness that was connected to a heavy, short-handled, long-bladed hoe – a tool that is still in use to this day. The use of the plow did not catch on to other cultures located outside of Africa until after the Bronze Age (right between the Stone and Iron Age).

· The first 'plastic' material created by humans was linked to the ancient Africans. It was believed comprised of water, sand, and clay. When molded or shaped, it could make items (like pottery) that was later dried in the sun or baked until it became hard.

· The cloth making that early Africans participated in thrived due to a variety of inventions. Since the fibers came in a naturally short form, they required assistance in being spun into threads so that cloth could be made. The Africans came up with ways on how to spin threads, as well as weave the threads into fabrics.

· Basket-making techniques utilized twigs and reeds. As the weaving of baskets advanced, the Africans created mats that would become a stylized form of art in Egypt.

· By 4500 BC, weaving included the creation of rope.

· Flax was turned into impressive textiles through weaving by 3000 BC.

· By 1000 BC, woolen cloth was made by the ancient Africans.

Systems of Counting in Ancient Africa

By the time 35,000 BC rolled around, the ancient Africans started using tally sticks (also known as counting sticks) as a way to keep track of numbers. The ancient African cultures were known as the first people in all the world to use a system of counting to keep track of their affairs.

Ancient African Science and Mathematics

The earliest known evidence of this comes from a tally stick left behind in the Lebombo Cave. The stick had 29 notches carved out of it. One theory was that it was used to count the days from one full moon to the next full moon, but there is no way of knowing if it was used for that or for counting people or the number of baskets full of food. Overall, it is clear that the ancient Africans used marks as a way of recording their daily tasks.

Traveling further north, the people of East Africa also relied on tally sticks. Around 20,000 BC, evidence found at Ishango (at the head of the Nile River) highlights another tally stick. However, the difference is that the markings were positioned in groups. One person could have used the same stick to keep track of a handful of thing. Others believe it could have been used for some sort of mathematics or for some kind of calendar.

When taking a look at the times of 7000 BC, the ancient people of Egypt and Sudan used tokens made out of clay as a way to count items. It is believed that this method originated in West Asia, where using tokens were noted earlier with the culture. In 3000 BC, ancient Egyptians started to use hieroglyphs as a way to jot down larger numbers. It didn’t take long for this method of mathematics to evolve into geometry, which would equip the Egyptians with the knowledge needed to construct the Great Pyramids.

Africa continued to become influenced by other cultures. With the colonization of North Africa by the Phoenicians, which took place around 800 BC, the people were introduced to the West Asian systems of counting and writing numbers. The North Africans adapted these ways for many centuries. Enter the Romans and schools were opened throughout North Africa with students learning the ins and outs of Greek geometrical proofs.

Other mathematical advancements associated with the ancient Africans include:

· An Indian number system that led to new discoveries in the field of algebra.

· A new method for reducing fractions was created by Al-Qurash.

· Al-Hassar, a North African mathematician, came up with a more modern way of writing fractions that used a bar separating the top from the bottom – the method in which we are accustomed to today. He additionally published textbooks in Arabic that showed how to add whole numbers and fractions; calculate square roots and cube roots; and work with prime numbers.

However the last ones are clearly arabs, but thats a different story.

http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/pub ... 2588.shtml

[SOUFLONDON]

To some people, black can mean non european, to some, sub saharan african peoples are black, to some west african diaspora in uk, somalians ain't black.

aint the term "black", subjective?

[perongregory]

It's quite obvious that Egypt was a black society that eventually intermixed with the conquered and their conquerers like many of West African stock that reside in the west now. Look at this fools they look like black and mixed black people, like some niggas in the west look damn their pure african and many look "african american" or "afro-latino", etc.

Young Bishari's of North Africa
Egypt, 1890

[perongregory]

And thanks Sentenza for recognizing and not being a racist fool. We need more folks like you because the other idiots make it hard for people like me to choose who should I listen to...Should I listen to white dude who says he has a PHD from some accredited school who's supposedly not bias but his teachers and grandpappy were doctors too and still lied and let the ir racial prejudices leak through, or should I listen to My black brethren who is trying to write his wrongs but might be going about it the wrong way with bad research, etc.. I want the pure unadulterated, no hatred truth.

[Silencioso]

To some people, black can mean non european, to some, sub saharan african peoples are black, to some west african diaspora in uk, somalians ain't black.

aint the term "black", subjective?

It's definately subjective. So's white for that matter. That's one of the reasons the Egyptian race discussion never ends.

[Azure9920]

"Luis, Rowold et al found that the diverse NRY haplotypes observed in a population of mixed Arabs and Berbers found that the majority of haplogroups, about 59% were of Eurasian origin. They found that markers signaling the Neolithic expansion from the Middle East constitute the predominant component.

"Other studies have shown that modern Egyptians have genetic affinities primarily with populations of North and Northeast Africa,] and to a lesser extent Middle Eastern and European populations. Studies done on ancient Egyptians' remains have shown uniformity and homogeneity among the samples, and cranial/limb ratio similarity with populations from North Africa, Somalia, Nubia, Southwest Asia and Europe. Blood typing and DNA sampling on ancient Egyptian mummies is scant; however, blood typing of dynastic mummies found ABO frequencies to be most similar to modern Egyptians and some also to Northern Haratin populations. ABO blood group distribution shows that the Egyptians form a sister group to North African populations, including Berbers, Nubians and Canary Islanders."

"Some genetic studies done on modern Egyptians suggest that most do not have close relations to most tropical Africans, and other studies show that they are mostly related to other North Africans, and to a lesser extent southern European/Mediterranean and Middle Eastern populations.A 2004 mtDNA study of upper Egyptians from Gurna found a genetic ancestral heritage to modern Northeast Africans, characterized by a high M1 haplotype frequency, and another study links Egyptians in general with people from modern Eritrea and Ethiopia."

[perongregory]

Ok, all of that is summed up in the video Sentenza posted...Modern Egyptians and Ancient Egyptians are similar to their East African brothers, who are "black".

[Sentenza]

I don't think they're any kind of lesser species, nor am I a racist like most of you think. If you were to erase the politically correct bias that you all have in place and look at history objectively, it has shown a distinct Negroid cultural deficit that no other racial group has come close to experiencing. You can sit there and make excuses, call me a racist or whatever you like, but the facts(real ones, not ones that come from people like Ivan Sertima) are on the table and in easy reach for anyone who is interested in the truth.

Im responding here to what you said in that other thread...
ok, ill tell you from my personal perspective. I truly am totally convinced that all humans are equal. I am. I have family from the middle east, a half african cousin who is currently teaching at a reknown canadian university and friends from literally all over the wordl. I was never able to pinpoint one kind of people as generally more stupid, more greedy, more aggressive, stronger, etc. Its all hyperbole to me. All races (which i do beleive technically dont even exist) have their good and their bad apples and at the end of ther day average the same to me. It has nothing to do with political correctness. Political correctness was a term coined by american conservatives to label everything that is antiracist or anticonservative or antireactionary as false, giving racist worldviews the notion of being against the mainstream, being underdog against the liberal mainstream that oppresses the truth. Which isnt true.
It was an attempt of thwarting upcoming scientific isnight,s that races dont exist, that africans arent stupid by nature, that people are much closer genetically related then some of them are gonna like etc.
Its part of a right wing move to keep their philosophy of good and bad races, superior and inferior races alive which is the very foundation of their principles.
I dont believe in it.
Black people didnt have cultural shortcomings as i have tried to point out with my initial postings. They just didnt use script which made them lag behind techonlogically from the 15th-16th century on. We can argue about the reasons, but it turned out that a lack of intelligence is not part of the reason.
Since IQ tests have been improved and not been subjugated to political agendas anymore, where the result that black people have to be less intelligent at the end, is already determined before the test already started the average IQ that is measured among blacks rises and its heading towards the average levels of the rest of the world. Because its not biased anymore.
That people in less developed countries are less intelligent is only natural. Due to malnutrition and lack of education people develop lesser intellectual skills. Do you want to know what the romans thought about northern europeans? Or what medieval arabs thought about their european counterparts? They were considering them as dumb by nature.
Europeans also considered asians as "a lesser breed" of humans only 100 years ago. And everyone was "sure" about that and there was "plenty of proof". You only had to look at those asian countries. They were all totally backwards. They really were back then. Thats proof for racial inferiority no? Well these voices have been silenced and proven wrong since Japan, Corea and now China kicks international ass.
And i do believe once africans get their heads out of their butts, the same will apply to them.

[Sentenza]

^^ Damn, my bad for the spelling, lol.

[Sentenza]

And thanks Sentenza for recognizing and not being a racist fool. We need more folks like you because the other idiots make it hard for people like me to choose who should I listen to...Should I listen to white dude who says he has a PHD from some accredited school who's supposedly not bias but his teachers and grandpappy were doctors too and still lied and let the ir racial prejudices leak through, or should I listen to My black brethren who is trying to write his wrongs but might be going about it the wrong way with bad research, etc.. I want the pure unadulterated, no hatred truth.

I know what you mean. Being educated doesnt mean that someone actually tells the truth. To me intelligence without heart is meaningless.
9.9 out of 10 times a scientist trying to boost this race or that race, has a politcal agenda and is paid for doing it and bends the facts so they fit in.
This accounts for black nationalists as well as white ones. If you doublecheck their sources or background your gonna find some foul shit pretty much every time.
Thats why i say that racism is a religion. It doesnt need facts.

[Azure9920]

Ok, all of that is summed up in the video Sentenza posted...Modern Egyptians and Ancient Egyptians are similar to their East African brothers, who are "black".

Actually that says that they're more like North African Berbers than anyone else.

""Some genetic studies done on modern Egyptians suggest that most do not have close relations to most tropical Africans, and other studies show that they are mostly related to other North Africans, and to a lesser extent southern European/Mediterranean and Middle Eastern populations.A 2004 mtDNA study of upper Egyptians from Gurna found a genetic ancestral heritage to modern Northeast Africans, characterized by a high M1 haplotype frequency, and another study links Egyptians in general with people from modern Eritrea and Ethiopia."

Caucasoid populations there.

[Azure9920]

And i do believe once africans get their heads out of their butts, the same will apply to them.

Yeah, they've only had 65,000 years. Why not give them another 50 millenia to catch up.

[perongregory]

Ok, all of that is summed up in the video Sentenza posted...Modern Egyptians and Ancient Egyptians are similar to their East African brothers, who are "black".

Actually that says that they're more like North African Berbers than anyone else.

""Some genetic studies done on modern Egyptians suggest that most do not have close relations to most tropical Africans, and other studies show that they are mostly related to other North Africans, and to a lesser extent southern European/Mediterranean and Middle Eastern populations.A 2004 mtDNA study of upper Egyptians from Gurna found a genetic ancestral heritage to modern Northeast Africans, characterized by a high M1 haplotype frequency, and another study links Egyptians in general with people from modern Eritrea and Ethiopia."

Caucasoid populations there.

Caucasoid yep, wrong! Sort of how Mexicans were considered caucasoid here in the states before 71...fuck the dumb shit those black ass africans we saw are not caucasoids, they're kemetic, hamitic and semetic. in laymen terms black with middle eastern admixture. Caucasian lol.

[Sentenza]

Yeah, they've only had 65,000 years. Why not give them another 50 millenia to catch up.

You didnt read the articles i posted. Your claim that they have achieved nothing is false and its obvious. there have been plenty of empires in Africa.
And what does it have to do with 65,000 years? Europe didnt have a culture worth mentioning until 2,500 years ago.
Which cant be said about Africa.

[Sentenza]

Actually that says that they're more like North African Berbers than anyone else.

""Some genetic studies done on modern Egyptians suggest that most do not have close relations to most tropical Africans, and other studies show that they are mostly related to other North Africans, and to a lesser extent southern European/Mediterranean and Middle Eastern populations.A 2004 mtDNA study of upper Egyptians from Gurna found a genetic ancestral heritage to modern Northeast Africans, characterized by a high M1 haplotype frequency, and another study links Egyptians in general with people from modern Eritrea and Ethiopia."

Caucasoid populations there.

Osteological Measurements

Among the criteria accepted in physical anthropology for classifying races, the osteological measurements are perhaps the least misleading (in contrast to craniometry) for distinguishing a black man from a white man. By this criterion, also, the Egyptians belong among the black races.

Blood Groups

It is a notable fact that even today Egyptians, particularly in Upper Egypt, belong to the same Group B as the populations of western Africa on the Atlantic seaboard and not the A2 group characteristic of the white race prior to any crossbreeding. 24 It would be interesting to study the extent of Group A2 distribution in Egyptian mummies, which present-day techniques make possible.

http://www.africawithin.com/diop/origin_egyptians.htm

[Azure9920]

It is a notable fact that even today Egyptians, particularly in Upper Egypt, belong to the same Group B as the populations of western Africa on the Atlantic seaboard and not the A2 group characteristic of the white race prior to any crossbreeding. 24 It would be interesting to study the extent of Group A2 distribution in Egyptian mummies, which present-day techniques make possible.

http://www.africawithin.com/diop/origin_egyptians.htm

Stop listening to Afrocentrist liars.

Here's a post addressing this very same issue on an Anthropology discussion site.

"Blood group A is found in the highest concentrations among western Europeans…there are many varieties of group A… The largest subgroup A2 is found principally in Northern Caucasians. A2 is found in very high concentration in Iceland and Scandinavia, particulary among the Lapps, ancient settlers of the area… The A2 gene is almost entirely confined to Caucasian populations….European Caucasians...a relatively high incidence of group A2 with moderate frequencies of other blood group genes. Normal frequencies of the gene for blood group M.” (“Complete Blood Type Encyclopedia: The A-Z Reference Guide For The Blood Type” 2002 D’Adamo, Whitney)
..when blood groupings were established by Dr. Connolly of Liverpool University, that the King [Tutankhamen] was of blood group A2 with the antigens M and N present… this was identical to the blood group of the body in Tomb 55…Harrison surmised that the body in Tomb 55 was in all probability Tutankhamen’s brother, Smenkhkare.” (“Tutankhamen: The Life and Death of the Boy-King” 2001 El Mahdy) Furthermore, both Tutankhamun and the body in question were blood group A2, with the serum antigen MN, all suggesting close consanguinity. An X-ray examination of the mummy of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings revealed a striking resemblance to the mummy from Tomb 55, now believed to be that of Smenkhkare. Both have the same blood group, and may very well have been brothers. (“Ancient Egyptian Medicine” 2002 Nunn)

“Tissues from the mummies of Yuya, Thuya and Amenhotep III were examined and it is argued that queen Tiy may have demonstrated the blood group A2B and Sitamun her daughter A2MN, the same as Tutankhamun and Smenkhkare.” (“Serological Evidence For the Parentage O Tutankhamun and Smenkhkare” 1976 Harrison, Connolly)

[Azure9920]

Caucasoid yep, wrong! Sort of how Mexicans were considered caucasoid here in the states before 71...fu-- the dumb shit those black ass africans we saw are not caucasoids, they're kemetic, hamitic and semetic. in laymen terms black with middle eastern admixture. Caucasian lol.

Mexicans have a lot of European mixture, along with some African mixture too, but they genetically assimilated into the native population.

Btw, "kemetic, hamitic and semetic" aren't groupings for people. Those aren't real terms.

[Motion]

Were the ancient egyptians black?

Depends on what period and what region of Egypt were talking about. From what I've gotten from my research is that the earliest Egyptians of the predynastic and old kingdom were indigenous Africans. But the question is does indigenous African automaticlly mean Black when talking about north Africans? The Berbers are indigenous to north Africa but aren't considered Black people. The ancient Egyptians may fall into the same category as the Berbers. The Egyptian population varied in looks from north to south. Egyptians in the north tended to be lighter in looks and as you went south the population became darker due to mixing with Nubians and other sub saharan Black Africans.

Also it is questionable as to whether the Egyptians were related to the Nubians as some believe. The Egyptians and Nubians spoke languages that weren't related to each other. Egyptians spoke an Afro-Asiatic language and Nubians spoke a Nilo-saharan langauge for example.

Were the Olmecs of african origin?

More than likely the Olmecs were Mexican Indians or natives. The Olmec stone heads could be said to only superfically appear to be Black African. The facial features on the stone heads can be shown to match the faces of Indians of the area where they were found.