One night while scrolling through my phone, I stumbled upon a heated debate in a history discussion group.

Someone posted an image claiming, “Ancient Egyptians were Black!”

Immediately, another user shot back, “Nonsense! They were clearly White!”

Both sides flooded the thread with paintings, movie stills, and documentary clips, neither willing to concede.

The more I watched, the more confused I became.

Everyone was heated, but no one answered the question: “How do you know that?”

This made me curious: What did ancient Egyptians actually look like? Was their skin dark or light?

I wasn't trying to take sides—I just wanted to figure out if there was real evidence to answer this question.

I decided to investigate myself

I didn't want to believe whoever shouted loudest online.

I resolved to approach this like homework, seeking genuinely reliable sources.

First, I searched keywords like “ancient Egyptians skin color” and “DNA research ancient Egypt.”

The results weren't news articles but scientific papers and university research reports.

I opened dozens of pages, reading and taking notes.When I came across unfamiliar terms like “melanin” or “genetic markers,” I looked up each one individually.

I also visited the city's main library.

In the history and archaeology section, I flipped through several thick books.

Some explained how mummies were made; others detailed the bone structures of ancient people.

Though challenging to read, at least these books weren't written by random people online—they were authored by experts.

Most importantly, I only consulted research peer-reviewed by other scientists.

I avoided emotional, sensationalist blogs or videos.

I sought facts, not opinions.

I discovered it wasn't that simple

At first, I thought I'd quickly find answers like “they were Black” or “they were White.”

But as I researched, I realized the issue was far more complex than I'd imagined.

What Can Mummies Tell Us?

Some tried to determine skin color from mummified skin.

But the problem is, after thousands of years, the skin has discolored and can't be trusted.

Scientists also examined skull shapes to infer ancestral origins.

But this method isn't very accurate either—only a rough guide.

What truly caught my attention was research on ancient Egyptian DNA.

Scientists extracted ancient genetic material from mummies for analysis.

The findings revealed:

- Ancient Egyptians shared closer genetic ties with modern Middle Eastern populations, such as those in Lebanon and Turkey;

- They also had connections to people in northeastern Africa, like present-day Sudan;

- Yet they showed significant genetic differences from West and Central Africans (e.g., Nigeria, Congo);

- They also differed from European whites, showing little similarity to people from France or Germany.