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Message:: [QUOTE="GinoLR, post: 8096949, member: 128351"]What does "race" mean? On this double "mummy-portrait" from Antinoopolis we see two Egyptians who lived in the mid-second century (they may have been brothers or lovers, we do not know their names). What is obvious is that they are depicted as members of the same community, only distinguished from each other by their costume : the chlamys of ephebes for the younger one, the toga or himation of adult men for the older one. But same facial expression, same rank : both pose as proud citizens. What we call today "race" was ignored in the Roman Empire... [ATTACH=full]1407518[/ATTACH] But it has not always been so in Egypt. The Egyptians, especially under the New Kingdom, used racial stereotypes to symbolize the enemies of Egypt. On this painted relief we see Ramses II smiting a bunch of enemies : a black-skinned Nubian, a brown-skinned Libyan (with a natural beard) and a light-skinned Syrian or Hittite (with a big beard). [ATTACH=full]1407525[/ATTACH] Egyptians were always painted the same colour and aspect : brown-skinned for adult males, light-skinned for women and children. In Egyptian art the skin colour was a question of gender, not of "race". This is perhaps why on the double "mummy portrait" the ephebe is painted lighter than the adult. This is also why on their famous family portrait painted in Egypt, Septimius Severus is much darker than Julia Domna and their children...[/QUOTE]