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I really don't want to know the sources of the claims in this comment. I am skeptical to put it mildly. If one uses a search engine to look up surviving murals and mosaics from Ancient Rome the faces that pop up bolster the claims in the essay, not this comment.

Edit: Come to think of it, also there were also a few Roman Emperors from North Africa!

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>Edit: Come to think of it, also there were also a few Roman Emperors from North Africa!

North Africa, like most of the Mediterranean, was white in Roman times. North Africa is only swarthy today in the aftermath of Arab conquest in the 7th and 8th centuries.

This isn’t remotely true. The Berber-speaking population of North Africa, i.e. the autochtonous population that was living there before the Arab invasion (and, of course, before Roman influence) is generally swarthier than those who can demonstrate pure Arab descent.

The historical evidence suggests a range of skin tones in North Africa in ancient times.

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