Ancient Egyptians

     I was pursuing the chess page of a college professor recently and came across one of his other pages that asked the question, “Were the ancient Egyptians Black? His opinion is that they were. Actually, I had never thought about it and, really, is it important? Anyway, curiosity got the better of me, so I did a little research and it seems opinions are divided. In the end, I don't see it as being of any great importance, but here are some links that discuss the issue.
     Black Egyptian hypothesis on Wikipedia: The question of the race of ancient Egyptians was raised historically as a product of the scientific racism of the 18th and 19th centuries, and was linked to models of racial hierarchy based on skin color, facial features, hair texture and genetic affiliations. A variety of views circulated about the racial identity of the Egyptians and the source of their culture. These were typically identified in terms of a distinction between the Caucasoid and Negroid racial categories. Some scholars argued that ancient Egyptian culture was influenced by other Afro-Asiatic-speaking populations in Northeast Africa or the Middle East, while others pointed to influences from various Nubian groups or populations in Europe. Read more   
     Black Egyptian hypothesis on Wikipedia: The Black Egyptian hypothesis is the contested hypothesis that Ancient Egypt was a Black civilization. It includes a particular focus on identifying links to Sub Saharan cultures and the questioning of the race of specific notable individuals from Dynastic times, including Tutankhamun and the king represented in the Great Sphinx of Giza, and Cleopatra. Read more

More links:
No, Egyptians Aren't White... But They Aren't Black Either
Cast of Exodus-Ridley Scott's Movie when it was announced a lot of people made the complaint that it was overwhelmingly white, a move they decried as both inaccurate and racist. They were right. Unfortunately, in response a lot of people have peddled another historical (and racist) error: that the ancient Egyptians were black and that modern Egyptians are imposters. Read more
10 Arguments That Prove Ancient Egyptians Were Black
Were Cleopatra and King Tut Examples of “Black Egyptians”

     This lead to another question...Was Jesus black? Personally, I think he looked like every other Jewish person of his day and there is no evidence that they were black. But again, I have to ask, does it matter? One thing I AM certain of...he did not look like this: 

    
     Some contemporary groups suggest Jesus was a black or African Hebrew. Is there evidence for this view? Was Jesus black? A straightforward look at the history of the life of Jesus in the Gospels notes He was the virgin-born son of a Hebrew woman from the town of Nazareth in the modern-day nation of Israel. A descendant of Jews, Jesus would have certainly been born with a Jewish complexion, typically consisting of an olive, light brown skin tone. This is also supported by the fact that Jesus fit well within His local Jewish culture and was known as being from Nazareth and being a Galilean. Read more

Revelation Now discusses the question. 
One Blogger's opinion…  
Insisting Jesus Was White Is Bad History and Bad Theology 
BBC News article discusses the issue.

    In the book of Revelation the Apostle John saw the resurrected Jesus and wrote that the hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire and his feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace. That does NOT, however, describe how he appeared when he walked the earth. 
Lamb's wool looks like this: 

and bronze looks like this: 

And molten bronze looks like this: