Is Studying Ancient Egypt in Its African Context Afrocentric?
856 WordsMar 9, 20134 Pages
Is Studying Ancient Egypt in its African Context Afrocentric? Studying Ancient Egypt is African context can be definitively distinguished as Afrocentric. Evidence of this is given from Ancient Egypt’s geographical location, the Ancient Egyptian culture, and linguistics. What is currently known as afrocentrism is a cultural ideology first formed from the work of late nineteenth century and early twentieth century African-American intellectuals. Afrocentrism manifested into its current form because of the African-American intellectuals during the Civil Rights Movement and African-American Studies departments in black colleges and universities across the nation. Afrocentricity deals with asserting African culture and the contributions…show more content… The third source I used was an internet website that contained an overview of the definition of Afrocentrisim. This was very reliable in the aspect that Dr. Molefi Kete Asante was one of the founders of the idea of Afrocentrisim. It was very enlightening provided a historical context.
Physically and culturally Ancient Egypt is a large part of Africa. Many scholars indicate that “…Egyptian prehistory are agreed on two basic principles: the African geological context, according to which the Egyptian Epipaleolithic and Neolithic cultures are included in a wide Saharan Nile context; and the continuity of time” (Autuori 113). Ancient Egypt was forged on the Nile River, a main geographical landmark in Africa. Although Ancient Egypt may be close to Asia, it is a part of the African continent. The southern and western parts of Egypt are bordered by African landmass. The Mediterranean Sea and he Sinai Peninsula separate Egypt from Asia and Europe. Africa’s flora and fauna were used in symbol systems in early Egyptian culture. Animals native to Africa were used in early hieroglyphics and iconographies. This makes it evident that there is a definite link between Egypt and its African posterity. “[Late prehistoric Egypt]…the essentially African nature of many of the central features of Pharaonic civilization…it also explains the innumerable cultural parallels between ancient Egypt and both the ancient Saharan and modern black African civilizations” (133). The geographic