Did The Ancient Perception of Blacks Constitute Racism?
Racism in the Greco-Roman Era In order to best evaluate if the ancient Roman perception of race, with regard to black people, was in fact racist there must be a thorough understanding of what racism is and what it is not. The perceived superiority of one race of people over another is the central tenet of racism. Racism solely exists where there are “discriminatory social structures based on and justified by an ideology of a biologically determined hierarchy” (Goldenberg 91). In other words, racism is a form of ethnocentrism wherein one group perceives themselves to be above another group. Furthermore, it is an “attitude toward individuals and groups of people which posits a direct and …show more content…
By the 5th century BCE, the Greeks knew that there were many different black peoples living in Africa, south of Egypt (Snowden 46, Pomponius 193, Pliny 194). For instance, many lived in the great city center of Meroe, others inhabited both sides of the Nile river, and some lived in the inlands of Libya (Diodorus 189 & Pomponius 193). Relating to geography, another popular belief of the time period was that regions with extreme heat were inferior to those with a temperate climate because of the distinct differences in the way of life and the lack of basic human necessities resulting from this heat (Strabo 192). Unlike their ancient Greco-Roman counterparts, indigenous Africans primarily sustained themselves on the meat, milk, and cheese from their flocks which included sheep, goat, and oxen. Additionally, as hunter/gatherers they eked out a living by consuming the also reeds growing in the water, the sesame and lotus which they planted, grass, twigs, millet, barley, and clovers (Diodorus 189 & Strabo 192). The variance in geographic location certainly contributed to the hardened lifestyle experienced by the blacks, but the Greeks and Romans did not consider themselves superior because they inhabited a more favorable environment. In addition to this so called environmental theory, the Greeks and Romans possessed ideas relating …show more content…
Consequently, their written language does not express “meaning from a combination of syllables, but rather from the metaphorical significance of a particular image” (Diodorus 187). For example, the hawk signifies everything swift and thus this meaning is extended to all “swift” things just as if it had been spoken. Similarly, the crocodile signifies everything evil and the eye represents maintaining justice and bodily protection (Diodorus 187). “By following the inherent meaning of each symbol and training themselves and their memory for a long time, they recognize fluently the meanings of each image” (Diodorus 187). As a result, the Greeks and Romans concluded Africans did not possess a low mental capacity for learning. On the contrary, the extensive training necessary to understand the perceived complexity of their written language highlighted their ability to acquire supplementary
Racism in the Greco-Roman Era In order to best evaluate if the ancient Roman perception of race, with regard to black people, was in fact racist there must be a thorough understanding of what racism is and what it is not. The perceived superiority of one race of people over another is the central tenet of racism. Racism solely exists where there are “discriminatory social structures based on and justified by an ideology of a biologically determined hierarchy” (Goldenberg 91). In other words, racism is a form of ethnocentrism wherein one group perceives themselves to be above another group. Furthermore, it is an “attitude toward individuals and groups of people which posits a direct and …show more content…
By the 5th century BCE, the Greeks knew that there were many different black peoples living in Africa, south of Egypt (Snowden 46, Pomponius 193, Pliny 194). For instance, many lived in the great city center of Meroe, others inhabited both sides of the Nile river, and some lived in the inlands of Libya (Diodorus 189 & Pomponius 193). Relating to geography, another popular belief of the time period was that regions with extreme heat were inferior to those with a temperate climate because of the distinct differences in the way of life and the lack of basic human necessities resulting from this heat (Strabo 192). Unlike their ancient Greco-Roman counterparts, indigenous Africans primarily sustained themselves on the meat, milk, and cheese from their flocks which included sheep, goat, and oxen. Additionally, as hunter/gatherers they eked out a living by consuming the also reeds growing in the water, the sesame and lotus which they planted, grass, twigs, millet, barley, and clovers (Diodorus 189 & Strabo 192). The variance in geographic location certainly contributed to the hardened lifestyle experienced by the blacks, but the Greeks and Romans did not consider themselves superior because they inhabited a more favorable environment. In addition to this so called environmental theory, the Greeks and Romans possessed ideas relating …show more content…
Consequently, their written language does not express “meaning from a combination of syllables, but rather from the metaphorical significance of a particular image” (Diodorus 187). For example, the hawk signifies everything swift and thus this meaning is extended to all “swift” things just as if it had been spoken. Similarly, the crocodile signifies everything evil and the eye represents maintaining justice and bodily protection (Diodorus 187). “By following the inherent meaning of each symbol and training themselves and their memory for a long time, they recognize fluently the meanings of each image” (Diodorus 187). As a result, the Greeks and Romans concluded Africans did not possess a low mental capacity for learning. On the contrary, the extensive training necessary to understand the perceived complexity of their written language highlighted their ability to acquire supplementary