“Blackwashing isn’t a thing, is it?” She continued, “I find it sad that people are either so self-loathing or so threatened by Blackness that they feel the need to do that, to separate Egypt from the rest of the continent.”
Last night I read this article about a series based on the lie that Cleopatra was a black woman. This morning on Joe, I listen to two experts on Artificial Intelligence. There is no going back. I am at the epicenter of the Rosamund Labyrinth. Here are the six things that are not true, and are revised.
- The New Testament
- The Mormon Church
- The Curse of Oak Island
- The Republican Party
- Ashland Shakespeare Festival
- The Death of Christine Rosamond Benton
Samuel Daniel wrote poems about Fair Rosamund and Cleopatra. He also wrote a book about the History of England. He did not set out to be a White Supremist. England had been invaded by Rome and the people of the Isle were made slaves. The Romans did this in Africa and Judea. Mark Antony helped Herod conquer the real Jews! The role that Cleopatra and the Ptolemies played – is extremely complex
. I am waiting for Israel to complain about the Black Cleopatra whose ancestor commissioned the writing of the Septuagint which influenced early Christian authors. To parade a black woman around as a viable candidate for Cleopatra – who had blonde hair and blue eyes as some kind of messenger for the charismatic women of Africa – is historic blasphemy on a GIANT LEVEL! Daniel is a candidate for the hidden author of Shakespeare’s plays that Richard Burton was famous for performing. Why not produce a Netflix series depicting Liz’s husband as a BLACK MAN, just to prove black male actors are charismatic – too! Why not create a Nubian Queen that drives the Roman slave-masters out of deepest Africa? Is there any real history of this? Liz and I appear to be kin to Shakespeare via the Webb family. Does genealogy of Cleopatra – count for anything? Her great grandfather was called “Pharaoh”
https://www.geni.com/people/Cleopatra-VII-Philopator-Pharaoh-of-Egypt/6000000001336815278
Liz is my kin, and she promoted Michael Jackson to no end. She encouraged him to become an artist. Jackson was seen as the most charismatic man of our time – first as a black man, then, as a white man. However, inside he was deeply insecure, and suffered from mental illness.
I’m glad Nataki Garrett resigned! She moved in during the COVID crisis and when White Folks were having a Culture War. Nataki pointed to the White Republicans as her excuse to move out white actors, and move in black actors, who put on Woke plays. Garrett banned Huckleberry Finn, and is the Yin to Governor DeSantis’s Yang. Did I get that right?
I get to be critical having been subjected to The Black Doll Indoctrination by my first girlfriend. Twenty years ago I became a member of the Emerald Art Association that wanted to enter the Eugene Celebration Parade for the first time. I suggested Springfield create the Carpenter Ant Queen, who sends any emissary across the new Peter Defazio bridge, and asks permission to – come over. White folks wearing BLACK ANT MASKS, got me demoted in a damn hurry by the widows of loggers who ran the show. They later censored a painting of a nude white woman. The Art Scene in Marfa looks good!
“Permission to come across…….GRANTED!”
John Presco
Collection of the History of England – Prose history of England from its earliest documented days, pre-Norman conquest, through the reign of Edward III. The first portion was published in 1612 as The First Part of the History of England. The final version was published in 1618 and represented the last of Daniel’s works published during his lifetime.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s documentary series continues to attract criticism and allegations of historical revisionism over the decision to depict Cleopatra VII Philopator as a black woman portrayed by Adele James. Critics of the docudrama series, produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, have decried the casting choice as a misrepresentation of history.
https://www.geni.com/people/Cleopatra-VII-Philopator-Pharaoh-of-Egypt/6000000001336815278
The actor also co-created the television series That’s What She Said and starred in a single episode. Additional producing credits include the short films Last Call and Post-You Me, and she also wrote an episode of The Corona Connections for Shoreditch Pictures.
According to James’s Instagram account (@adele_jjames), she is also an acting coach for the company In the Room and previously hosted a podcast with the same name. Her account also states that she’s a “champion” for the UK mental health organization Papyrus, which aims to support youths struggling with suicide.Adele James Responds To Accusations of “Black-Washing”
Ahead of Queen Cleopatra’s debut, the series was met with harsh accusations from the Egyptian government and others for its portrayal of the Egyptian Queen as a Black woman. Egypt‘s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities issued a statement in April accusing the docuseries of taking excessive creative liberties as the famed ruler had “white skin and Hellenistic characteristics.” Other critics created a petition opposing the Netflix docuseries, slamming the Afrocentrism movement as “pseudoscience” and accusing the creators of “robbing” Egyptians of their history.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, James addressed these criticisms in an appearance on The Wayner Ayers podcast, saying, “Blackwashing isn’t a thing, is it?” She continued, “I find it sad that people are either so self-loathing or so threatened by Blackness that they feel the need to do that, to separate Egypt from the rest of the continent.”
Later, the Casualty actor addressed the reception on the podcast Steph’s Packed Lunch. Per The Independent, she said that she expected some backlash, but “didn’t expect the scale of it.” James called the controversy “fundamentally racist” and said, “People are talking about the wrong things.”
Speaking about the documentary, she added, “If you watch it, is a very small part of the conversation really, this is about the fullness of who this woman was and she was a human being and she shouldn’t be reduced to her race any more than I should or anybody should.”
The show’s portrayal of Cleopatra as Black is briefly addressed in the first episode of the series and then never again. One of the experts featured in the documentary, Professor Shelley Haley, who teaches Classics at Hamilton College, noted that African Egyptians had a variety of different skin colors “ranging from Black to pale brown, much like the people of South Sudan to modern-day Egypt.” Another interview subject, Dr. Sally-Ann Ashton, author of Cleopatra and Egypt, questioned the previous lack of representation of Cleopatra as a non-white person, saying it’s “very strange that we insist on depicting her as wholly European.”
While these conversations seem uncalled for and deeply rooted in anti-Blackness, James continues to hold her head high and has been tweeting about her recent press appearances, saying she wants to be remembered by them rather than “being run off the internet by bullies and racists!”
James has nothing to worry about as the series seems to be a success on the platform and critics are raving about her performance. Decider’s Joel Keller wrote in his review that she did a “good job” portraying Cleopatra as “a strong, intelligent and determined leader,” and The Guardian’s Leila Latif praised James’s performance as “strikingly better than what surrounds her.”
The Black Doll of Sawtell
Posted on June 22, 2020 by Royal Rosamond Press
Nataki Garrett, artistic director for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, has resigned.Courtesy of Oregon Shakespeare Festival/Bill Geenen
https://www.geni.com/people/Cleopatra-VII-Philopator-Pharaoh-of-Egypt/6000000001336815278
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(37_BC)
Herod the Great‘s siege of Jerusalem (37 or 36 BC)[i] was the final step in his campaign to secure the throne of Judea. Aided by Roman forces provided by Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony), Herod was able to capture the city and depose Antigonus II Mattathias, ending Hasmonean rule. The siege appears in the writings of Josephus and Dio Cassius.[4]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Daniel
Collection of the History of England – Prose history of England from its earliest documented days, pre-Norman conquest, through the reign of Edward III. The first portion was published in 1612 as The First Part of the History of England. The final version was published in 1618 and represented the last of Daniel’s works published during his lifetime.
The Complaint of Rosamond – Long historical poem (epyllion) about Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II. First published in Delia and The Complaint of Rosamond (1592) and in a second revised edition in that same year. Revised, expanded version published in Delia and Rosamond Augmented. Cleopatra (1594).
- The Tragedy of Cleopatra – Senecan, closet drama about Cleopatra‘s suicide following the death of Mark Antony. First published in Delia and Rosamond Augmented. Cleopatra (1594). Substantially revised in Certain Small Works Heretofore Divulged by Samuel Daniel, Now Again Corrected and Augmented (1607).
https://allthatsinteresting.com/picts
Every time the Roman Empire tried to move into their territory, the Picts successfully fought back. The Roman legions were the greatest military force the world had ever seen and the only people they couldn’t conquer were this wild clan.
Yet despite their formidable warrior culture, the Picts mysteriously vanished during the 10th century. The wild men the Romans could not conquer faded away and barely left behind a trace of their existence. Today, historians still struggle to piece together a glimpse into who the Picts were and what happened to their mighty culture.
Michael Jackson Looked Like Elizabeth Taylor
Posted on October 14, 2018 by Royal Rosamond Press
would regularly sign autographs and pose for photos even after filming for hours in the hot Texas heat.
Mara Kapsis, a color and trim designer from Chevrolet who helped design the 2018 Chevy Equinox, says the light, colors, and overall creative spirit of Marfa had a profound impact on her vision.
“It is a completely unique place,” Kapsis says. “When we first drove upon it, it was kind of this burst out of nowhere. There were all these contradictions or juxtapositions of the beautiful new architecture and this unique, old architecture and the texture of the landscape. And of course this amazing artwork in the heart of it all. I think there’s kind of no place like it that I’ve ever been.”
The thriving art scene has come to define the west Texas town. The Chinati Foundation, created by artist Donald Judd, was opened to the public in 1986. The foundation sits on 340 acres of land on the site of the former Fort D.A. Russell and features two of Judd’s most famous works. The foundation also showcases pieces from 11 other artists like Dan Flavin, Carl Andre, and Roni Horn.
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/european-institute/events/2012-13/cleopatra
Samuel Daniel’s Tragedie of Cleopatra (1594) is the first English drama about Cleopatra and a source for Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. This production arises from the PhD research of Yasmin Arshad (UCL, English) and brings together a talented production team from a wide range of UCL departments.
The production will explore early modern attitudes to race and national identity. The play centres on tensions between Egypt and Rome and on a non-European heroine who is fascinatingly different from Shakespeare’s Cleopatra in her nobility and stoicism. It is a sequel to Mary Sidney’s translation of Robert Garnier’s Antonie, making it an English play about an Egyptian queen inspired by a translation from French of a neo-Senecan tragedy. As such it demonstrates that cultural dialogue across and beyond Europe was the engine of artistic and intellectual innovation in the early modern period.
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/european-institute/events/2012-13/cleopatra
https://luminarium.org/renlit/cleopatra.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Daniel
https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/complaint-rosamond
Renowned Archaeologist Releases Cleopatra Documentary Amid Netflix Controversy
May 14, 2023
Renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass recently appeared in a 90-minute documentary about Cleopatra as the controversy brewing around the Netflix production Queen Cleopatra continues to brew following its release on the popular streaming platform.
The new documentary featuring Hawass, simply titled Cleopatra, is now featured on director Curtis Ryan Woodside’s YouTube channel. Hawass, like many prominent Egyptian scholars, has been an outspoken critic of the Netflix series, arguing that Cleopatra should be depicted accurately as a Hellenistic ruler of Macedonian Greek descent.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s documentary series continues to attract criticism and allegations of historical revisionism over the decision to depict Cleopatra VII Philopator as a black woman portrayed by Adele James. Critics of the docudrama series, produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, have decried the casting choice as a misrepresentation of history.
Zahi Hawass releases his own Cleopatra documentary
The new documentary was co-produced by Curtis Ryan Woodside and Sofia Aziz and features commentary by archaeologists like Zahi Hawass and Kathleen Martinez. The full 90-minute feature was released on May 10, the same day the controversial Netflix series debuted, and is available to watch on YouTube.
Perhaps alluding to the recent controversy, the description for the documentary reads “Her story has been warped so much throughout history, from biased opinions to praise, yet who was she really? Everyone thinks they know her, everyone has a different opinion, but most of those are modern, based on films and misinformed play scripts. How much do we really know about the true… Cleopatra.”
The new documentary featured on YouTube purports to tell the “true” story of Cleopatra, who was the Ptolemaic dynasty’s final and most famous ruler.
Controversial Netflix series
After weeks of blistering criticism in the buildup to the release of Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra, the new series debuted on May 10 to dismal reviews from both critics and viewers. On Rotten Tomatoes, the docuseries has received a critics rating of 11% and an even lower rating of 1% by viewers.
The controversy largely revolves around the appearance of Cleopatra. Several high-profile archaeologists and historians in Egypt have dismissed the Netflix documentary as a misrepresentation of history based on the decision to depict the Ptolemaic ruler as a black woman.
For example, the Egyptian Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Archeology Dr. Mustfa Waziri issued a lengthy statement, together with Dr. Nasser Mekkawy, Head of the Egyptian Department of Archaeology at Cairo University, arguing that the historical figure of Cleopatra VII was of Greek descent, contrary to the Netflix series’ depiction.
The issue continues to inspire fierce debate. Zahi Hawass, who was also highly critical of the Netflix series recently revealed that one of his lectures in Los Angeles was interrupted by protestors who were angered by his refusal to entertain the possibility that Cleopatra was black.
According to a legend preserved in the so-called Letter of Aristeas (no one knows who actually wrote it), the Septuagint translation of the Bible was commissioned by Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt so that he would have a copy of the Jewish lawbook for his famous library in Alexandria. To secure the cooperation of Eleazer, the Jewish high priest in Jerusalem, Ptolemy set free the many Jews who had been sold into slavery by Ptolemy’s father after his military campaign in Palestine in 312 B.C. In gratitude, Eleazer the high priest sent 72 elders from Jerusalem (six from each tribe) to Alexandria, where they were royally entertained and finally secluded on an island to undertake their work. In 72 days of joint labor they completed the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek. The translation was accepted and sanctified by the Jewish community, and any changes were officially forbidden. Ptolemy then sent the translators home with costly gifts.
Turning from legend to fact, the Septuagint is a Jewish translation of the third century B.C.E., made for diaspora Jews in Egypt whose language was Greek and who no longer understood Hebrew. It is the first known translation of the Bible. Later, the early Christian Church adopted the Septuagint as divinely inspired and this version became the basis of the Latin translation known as the Vulgate. The Septuagint contains a number of books which are not in the Hebrew Bible (or Masoretic text as it is called by scholars), but based on their inclusion in the Septuagint, these books were also included in the Latin Vulgate. That is why such books as Judith, II Maccabees, The Wisdom of Solomon and Ben Sira, are considered canonical by the Roman Catholic Church, it was denounced by contemporaneous Jews. Although originally a Jewish translation, the Septuagint has been preserved only in Christian sources.
Ptolemy XII Auletes, (Greek: “Flute Player”) in full Ptolemy XII Theos Philopater Philadelphus Neos Dionysos Auletes, (born c. 112 BC—died 51 BC), Macedonian king of Egypt, whose quasi-legitimate royal status compelled him to depend heavily upon Rome for support for his throne. During his reign Egypt became virtually a client kingdom of the Roman Republic. He was the first Ptolemy to include Theos (God) in his formal title. (Auletes was not part of his formal title.)
Following the sudden, violent deaths of the last two fully legitimate members of the Ptolemaic family in Egypt, the people of Alexandria in 80 invited Ptolemy XII to assume the throne. Although he was known as a son of Ptolemy IX Soter II, his mother was a mistress of Soter, not a wife. In 103 he was sent by his grandmother, Cleopatra III, queen of Egypt, in the company of his brother and Ptolemy XI Alexander II, his predecessor, to Cos, an Aegean island near Asia Minor, for safekeeping. Captured in 88 by Mithradates VI Eupator, ruler of Pontus, a kingdom in Asia Minor that was then at war with Rome, young Ptolemy appeared in 80 in Syria, from where, according to Cicero, he arrived in Egypt, while his brother became king of Cyprus.
Shortly after his arrival in Egypt, Ptolemy married Cleopatra V Tryphaeana (“the Opulent”), his sister, and in 76 he was crowned in Alexandria according to Egyptian rites. At Rome, however, anti-Senate politicians in 65 raised the issue of Ptolemy’s legitimacy, producing a questionable will of Ptolemy XI Alexander II purporting to bequeath Egypt to the Roman people. Ptolemy, seeking Roman support, sent troops to assist the consul and general Pompey the Great in Palestine. Cicero, representing Pompey’s interests, persuaded the Senate to oppose Roman annexation. Facing serious opposition from the people of Alexandria and still unsure of his status at Rome, Ptolemy bribed Julius Caesar, one of the Roman consuls for the year 59, with 6,000 talents, in return for which Caesar passed a law acknowledging his kingship. Rome nevertheless divested Egypt of Cyprus the next year, and, when his brother in Egypt failed to support him, the island’s king committed suicide.
Rosamond Press 