▁met ▁with ▁" pro found " ▁disag re ement . ▁Most ▁participants ▁concluded ▁that ▁the ▁ancient ▁Egypt ian ▁population ▁was ▁ind igen ous ▁to ▁the ▁N ile ▁Valley , ▁and ▁was ▁made ▁up ▁of ▁people ▁from ▁north ▁and ▁south ▁of ▁the ▁Sah ara ▁who ▁were ▁differenti ated ▁by ▁their ▁color . ▁The ▁current ▁position ▁of ▁modern ▁scholar ship ▁is ▁that ▁the ▁Egypt ian ▁civil ization ▁was ▁an ▁ind igen ous ▁N ile ▁Valley ▁development ▁( see ▁population ▁history ▁of ▁Egypt ). ▁ ▁A si atic ▁race ▁theory ▁The ▁A si atic ▁race ▁theory ▁holds ▁that ▁the ▁ancient ▁Egypt ians ▁were ▁the ▁line al ▁descend ants ▁of ▁the ▁bib lic al ▁Ham , ▁through ▁his ▁son ▁M iz ra im . ▁This ▁theory ▁was ▁the ▁most ▁dominant ▁view ▁from ▁the ▁Early ▁Middle ▁A ges ▁( c . ▁ 5 0 0 ▁AD ) ▁all ▁the ▁way ▁up ▁to ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 th ▁century . ▁The ▁descend ants ▁of ▁Ham ▁were ▁tradition ally ▁considered ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁dark est - sk inned ▁branch ▁of ▁human ity , ▁either ▁because ▁of ▁their ▁ge ographic ▁all ot ment ▁to ▁Africa ▁or ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁Cur se ▁of ▁Ham . ▁Thus , ▁Di op ▁c ites ▁Gast on ▁Mas per o ▁" More over , ▁the ▁Bible ▁states ▁that ▁Mes ra im , ▁son ▁of ▁Ham . ▁brother ▁of ▁Ch us ▁( K ush ) ▁... ▁and ▁of ▁C ana an , ▁came ▁from ▁Mes op ot am ia ▁to ▁sett le ▁with ▁his ▁children ▁on