▁groups ▁or ▁populations ▁in ▁Europe . ▁ ▁In ▁more ▁recent ▁times ▁some ▁writers ▁continued ▁to ▁challenge ▁the ▁main stream ▁view , ▁some ▁foc using ▁on ▁question ing ▁ ▁the ▁race ▁of ▁specific ▁notable ▁individuals ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁king ▁represented ▁in ▁the ▁Great ▁S ph inx ▁of ▁G iza , ▁native ▁Egypt ian ▁ph ara oh ▁T ut ank ham un , ▁and ▁Greek ▁P to le ma ic ▁queen ▁Cle op atra ▁VII . ▁ ▁Main stream ▁sch ol ars ▁reject ▁the ▁notion ▁that ▁Egypt ▁was ▁a ▁white ▁or ▁black ▁civil ization ; ▁they ▁maintain ▁that , ▁despite ▁the ▁phen ot yp ic ▁divers ity ▁of ▁An cient ▁and ▁present ▁day ▁Egypt ians , ▁applying ▁modern ▁not ions ▁of ▁black ▁or ▁white ▁races ▁to ▁ancient ▁Egypt ▁is ▁an ach ron istic . ▁In ▁addition , ▁sch ol ars ▁reject ▁the ▁notion , ▁implicit ▁in ▁the ▁notion ▁of ▁a ▁black ▁or ▁white ▁Egypt ▁hypothesis , ▁that ▁An cient ▁Egypt ▁was ▁ra cially ▁hom ogeneous ; ▁instead , ▁skin ▁color ▁varied ▁between ▁the ▁pe op les ▁of ▁Lower ▁Egypt , ▁Upper ▁Egypt , ▁and ▁N ub ia , ▁who ▁in ▁various ▁er as ▁rose ▁to ▁power ▁in ▁An cient ▁Egypt . ▁ ▁History ▁The ▁earliest ▁examples ▁of ▁disag re ement ▁regarding ▁the ▁race ▁of ▁the ▁ancient ▁Egypt ians ▁occurred ▁in ▁the ▁work ▁of ▁Europe ans ▁and ▁Americans ▁early ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century . ▁One ▁early ▁example ▁of ▁such ▁an ▁attempt ▁was ▁an ▁article ▁published ▁in ▁The ▁New - Eng land ▁Magazine ▁of