Truth: 

The ancient Egyptians were comprised of several ethnic groups or were primarily a Black African civilization.

The racial characteristics of ancient Egyptians have been a subject of debate and controversy dating back to 18th century natural history. Ironically, the Egyptians considered themselves part of a distinct race, separate from their neighbors.

Mainstream consensus is that ancient Egypt was a mixed-race gestalt of African and Middle Eastern ethnicities. The Egyptians considered themselves part of a distinct race, separate from their neighbors. Most modern Egyptologists believe the Egyptians thought of themselves as Egyptian people, not African, Mediterranean , White, or Black people. They discovered wall paintings that contrast Egyptian, Nubian, Berber, and Semitic peoples. Research also shows that the ancient Egyptians oftentimes married people of various ethnicities. International (or interethnic) marriages were common.

There are alternative views, however. Afro-centric scholars such as Martin Bernal and Cheikh Anta Diop claim that dynastic Egypt was from its inception – and remained throughout several millennia – a primarily black, African civilization.