Cleopatra Was Light-Skinned, Egypt Tells Netflix in Row Over Drama

She was Egyptโ€™s last Pharaoh, a legendary leader who according to popular belief ended her life by allowing a deadly cobra to bite her breast.

But more than 2,000 years after her death, the woman who had love affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony has ignited a modern-day controversy over race and representation.

In Queen Cleopatra, a new four-part drama-documentary made by Netflix, the title role is played by Adele James, an actor of mixed heritage โ€“ a move that has enraged Egyptian experts who insist the pharaonic leader had โ€œwhite skin and Hellenistic characteristicsโ€.

This week, the Egyptian antiquities ministry published a lengthy statement that included opinions from experts that, it said, agree on Cleopatraโ€™s skin colour and facial features.

โ€œBas-reliefs and statues...

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Apr 30th 2023
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