With no new Ancient Aliens this week, I'm rather at a loss for what to write about today. On the other hand, it's nice to have a day off. Since it's the weekend, I'm inclined to take a bit of a break. So, let's just look at one brief example of how Afrocentric alternative history sees what it wants to see. Our example will come from R. A. Jairazbhoy, an Afrocentrist who believes that Greek mythology is "really" Egyptian history, which in turn is "really" the history of sub-Saharan West Africans, coincidentally the same people who are the ancestors of most African-Americans. In Greek mythology King Aeëtes of Colchis was the son of Helios, the sun god, and was thus styled the Son of the Sun. Jairazbhoy claims that this is proof of Black influence.
This would be a surprise to ancient people. The Greeks had not just Aeëtes as the child of the sun but also Phaëthon. Some Mesopotamian kings styled themselves children of Shamash, the sun god, and went by the name “son of the sun," including one of the first kings of Uruk, the city of Gilgamesh. The god Marduk of Babylon also went by the name "son of the sun," as did the planet Mercury (= the god Gud) among the Assyrians.
Now it's true that the Egyptian title dates back to 3500 BCE and thus predates evidence of its use in other cultures; however, it was certainly not "exclusive" to Egypt or its pharaohs in "antiquity." This is not new information. It has been known since the late nineteenth century.
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AuthorI am an author and researcher focusing on pop culture, science, and history. Bylines: New Republic, Esquire, Slate, etc. There's more about me in the About Jason tab. Newsletters
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