I refuse to start this opinion piece with the stereotypical disclaimers like “some of my best friends are black” and “everyone who knows me knows I’m not racist.”
I won’t go that route to try and justify my (very strong) opinion about the new epic TV series “Troy: Fall of a City” that’s coming out on BBC and Netflix that has cast a very talented actor to play the role of the Greek hero Achilles.
A very talented black actor.
The internet is already on fire. And sadly, as in any such situation involving race, the uglies have come out, as well as the intellectuals and regular people like me who are just perplexed and confused.
I mean, would the lead role in a Barack Obama bio-pic ever be cast with a white actor?
Could an Asian actor play Adolph Hitler?
Could a black woman play Anne Frank in a new Holocaust series?
Could a black woman play Melania Trump in an epic feature film called “45” that will chronicle America during the Trump Presidency?
And would there be an outcry if a film about Aretha Franklin, or the American hero Rosa Parks were headlined by white women?
This is one of those opinion pieces that I hate writing. You have to think about the people reading this and how anything you say might (and probably will) offend someone, or even worse, many.
So, what’s wrong with a black actor playing Achilles?
It’s simple. History. The truth. The sources we have that gave us these characters, whether they were mythical or real– it doesn’t matter. What matters is what the original sources told us about these characters.
We know from Homer’s epic poems The Illiad and The Odyssey that Achilles was fair-haired, possibly even blonde.
In the Iliad, Achilles has blonde hair («ξανθῆς δὲ κόμης ἕλε Πηλεΐωνα» = “she (Athena) grabbed Achilles by his blonde hair”; Iliad, 1.197). That’s probably the most persistent characteristic given for him and is repeated numerous times.
The word “xanthē” (ξανθή) used here can be translated as “yellow”, “fair”, “golden” or “blonde”. (Side note: I have a sense of redemption that the 4 semesters of Ancient Greek that I stumbled through in college have just paid off.)
But all joking aside. It’s that simple. It’s mentioned dozens of times in these texts. There is no ambiguity or question amongst scholars of what Homer may have meant or may have been trying to tell us about what Achilles looked like.
Achilles’ κόμη (head of hair) was ξανθή (blonde/fair/light). There can be no interpretation or dispute of Homer’s multiple descriptions.
And why is this a big deal?
Because history cannot be re-written. History should not be re-written for some politically-correct motive or reason, to make one part of society happy– and enrage another.
Because trust me, spend a few minutes reading the comments on Variety‘s story about the television show. People are enraged and a lot of ugliness has come out.
The BBC/Netflix’s decision to cast a black man is a racially-charged move and sadly, much of the on-line banter is already filled with hate– which is why I’ve left out the emotion as much as I could, and have tried to defend my opinion– with facts and logic.
Another reason why this will be a big deal is the mere fact that people just don’t know history and millions of misinterpretations of these stories and characters will occur.
Right now I’m thinking of my friends in middle America and their four kids, sitting on their living room couch watching the series.
What will they say when one of their boys turns and says– “Mommy, Daddy… I thought Achilles was Greek.”
Seriously, how does one answer that? “Oh it’s just Hollywood being silly?” No. You can’t just say that. There are millions of people out there who are impressionable, or unfamiliar with Greek history, or just plain stupid.
God knows we don’t need any more stupid out there. And for the impressionable and unfamiliar– isn’t it our responsibility to teach them real stories and history?
Why are Netflix and the BBC getting into the game of re-writing history and potentially misinforming (or dis-informing?) millions of people whose first-ever glimpse at Greek literature, mythology and history will be through their new series?
I’m guessing that this will be one of the most commented on posts I’ve ever written. I’m no stranger to the strong opinions of the readers of The Pappas Post when subjects like this come up.
My only hope is that in your comments, you, too, can focus on facts and logic– much like the Ancient Greeks, and perhaps even the light-haired hero himself would have wanted us to engage.
*****
Since you’re here… I have a small favor to ask.
More and more people than ever before are reading The Pappas Post and despite increasing costs to maintain the site and provide you with the quality content that you deserve, I will never “force” you to pay for our website or add a paywall. I believe in the democracy of the internet and want to keep this site and its enriching content free for everyone. But at the same time I’m asking those who frequent the site to chip in and help keep it both high quality— and free. We’ve implemented a “free-will” annual subscription for those who want to support our efforts. I guess it’s fair to call it a philotimo subscription… because you don’t have to do it but it’s really the right thing to do if you love the site and the content we publish. So if you like The Pappas Post and want to help, please consider becoming a “philotimo subscriber”.Click here to subscribe. If you’d rather make a one time donation, we will gladly accept any amount, with appreciation. Click here to donate any amount.
59 comments
This is a very dangerous opinion piece. First being Greek has absolutely nothing to do with race. Greeks come in all different skin tones. Second the fact that the only problem you find is with the black actor and not any of the Anglo white actors (who have always been cast as Greeks even though that’s also incorrect if we’re being technical here!) speaks volumes. Ancient history did not have the same concept of race which society has today. Even though they are described certain ways, it is uncertain if their description of blonde is even the equivalent to what we describe as blonde today. But this shouldn’t even be the argument. This young man will probably be an amazing Achilles! Also before you write your next peice about Giannis Antetokoumbo, a proud Greek, please think about what you just wrote above. As a fellow Greek American, I hope we can strive to open our beautiful Ancient history to all because that’s what it’s about, not the race of the actor.
Also, do you know the ethnic identity of this young actor? Simply judging him by his skin tone and
name is naive. There are many black ethnic greek celebrities and athletes. Lianne la havas? sofoklis schortsanitis?
Please remember as well the proximity of both Modern Greece and Ancient Greece to Africa. It’s much closer than the United Kingdom!
You make many fallacious arguments. Please study some history, anthropology, and archaeology, may want also some philology, as we study it in Greek High School and Ancient Greek Grammar. The fact that you grew up in the states makes it that you lack Much education. You do not study ancient Greek in the states, while all Greek children do in Greece. You are not qualified to assume what words mean in such a case and do not have a valid point to make.
Also read my reply bellow, this is not a “Racist” issue, you live with racism every day in the states, the media the newspapers everyone even Oprah and dr Oz etc etc etc speak of “race” when in reality such a thing doe snot even exist as we now know for more than 15 years. regardless of eye shape or skin color we are all the same race.
But we did not all evolve as nations in heterogeneous societies, in multicultural milieu. nevertheless. Ancient Greece did not have all sorts of skin tones and looks. I will agree that there is variation of skin tone in Greece from pale pink to very light brown or olive, but not African dark brown. While today there are dark brown Greeks from African parents who immigrated to Greece naturalized and made kids, it was not the case of Ancient Greece, and the reasons for this are found in the Historical and Archaeological Record.
Actually I have studied in both Greece and America. I have lived in both countries and am a citizen of both. I have worked in a museum in Greece. I do not lack any education, especially given that I studied both ancient and modern history in university. Ξέρω ακριβός τι λέω. Ancient regions are not reflective of modern states. There were no borders. People were constantly moving and cultures mixing with each other. There is no singularity in Ancient history. Yes I have also studied how descriptions of people in Ancient Greece may not exactly reflect how we use those words to describe people today. This argument about misrepresntion of Greek historical Hollywood films should have been made 20 years ago! They have never once been portrayed accurately. Hollywood has anglicized Greek history immensely. Ancient Greek history is not Anglo history, yet most of middle America believes it is and I promise you that a black actor is not going to suddenly create a problem given that these films have always been problematic filled with inaccuracies. My argument is that suddenly a black actor is cast and people are outraged. People should have been outraged a long time ago and that’s why this speaks piece to me speaks volumes about what people pick and choose to argue about. Achilles being played by a black actor is the least of our worries when it comes to these productions. Greek is not a racially identity and it has never been. It’s a disgrace to Ancient Greek history to even argue this. We are closer to the Egyptians and Persians than any of the Anglo actors who have always been casted in these films.
Anita,
you only have to look at Hermes of Praxiteles famous statue and the myriad other statues in museums all over Greece to get a clear depiction of how Ancient Greeks used to look like. Nothing has changed much compared to how Greeks look today. We were and are, ethnically white.
Anything else, is just a moronic attempt to cultural appropriation, or better even as cultural misappropriation.
The disgrace unfortunately is that you call yourself Greek.
“Ξέρω ακριβός τι λέω”???
-Αμ, δεν ξέρεις καημένη που σου πάνε τα τέσσερα! (You can use the Google Translator to help you out there)
You have not addressed the main point of the author, which is that Achilles is described as a blonde/fair haired man. This is at odds with the casting.
If you want to do a parallel fiction on Troy, change the names and cast whomever you want, looking however you want. If you want to do the Iliad and stay close to the source material… Don’t cast a black actor as Achilles.
Thank you I couldn’t have said it better myself! These Hollywood idiots are just pissing on reality and history with their sjw agendas. This show sucks and I can’t watch it because of these reasons. Achilles is rolling over in his grave being depicted this way.
Anita, first off you’re an idiot! Homer the author described his character as blond and blue eyed, but lets just ignore that and let the BBC create their own character for the role of Achilles! So by your standards, lets ignore J.K. Rowling’s description of Harry Potter as a boy of 10 with brown hair, green eyes like his mother Lily, with glasses and a scar on his forehead, and make him an Asian boy with no glasses. Is this now Harry Potter? Is this the character that J.K. Rowling described? Or lets take Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of the Hunger Games and ignore Suzanne Collin’s description of a dark haired raven eyed girl of 14, with her hair in a braid, and make her a boy of the same age with blond hair and blue eyes? That’s now Katniss!!! Do you see my point? So lets ignore Homer and culturally appropriate a beloved character/hero to the Greeks, who for centuries was described a blond haired blue eyed warrior and just put in an African actor who doesn’t look like Achilles at all. Hell, why don’t we cast Kevin Spacey as Achilles? Just ignore the source material of one of the greatest authors (Homer) and do what we please? Lets do the same with Malcolm X and make him an old white guy?
Sure, it doesn’t matter TOO much if the BCC blatantly black-washes white history, but whatever. Point is, BBC’s headass is making a statement here, pushing their agenda as aggressively as they can.
This is not a problem of racism,is a problem of ignorance from the producers,and it is offensive to all who love these wonderful masterpieces as the Odyssey and ILIAD
But Hollywood has always committed this kind of mistakes starting with a blue eyes Jesus
This is wrong, a black Aquiles, it is destroying history,it was really shocking to watch this
Any ways this series isn’t worthy to watch
Anita, youre obviously retarded. you did not read any of the article. it is racist to portray achilles as black when he was clearly white in the illiad.
Greeks were not and never have been black skinned. Its politically correct people like you that destroy history. The basketball player you mentioned is not Greek, his parents entered Greece illegally. He is Nigerian, and should be proud of his heritage and ethnicity.
oh Anita, poor, silly misguided Anita. lets address the numerous issues with your post. first and foremost there were most defiantly no ‘black’ Greek heroes of legend running around Attika or Phokis in the 11th century BC no matter how much you want there to have been. Are there ethnic minority Greek citizens today? sure, but what that has to do with antiquity and what point you are trying to make is beyond me. if you had an interest in genealogy, anthropology and historic genetic variation, you would realise how dense you are being. mentioning the likes of Giannis Antetokoumbo further weakens your argument, a man born in 1994 , does not a man born in 850 BC make. your just rambling and pointing to modern examples of ethnic minorities who are Greek as if that somehow changes history, and an accurate representation of history is one of the main talking points of this article. you say you are Greek but seem perfectly happy for the BBC to rewrite your history and mythology to suit modern societal sensibilities. i can only assume you are a minority yourself? as am i. I am a black middle aged man living in the UK, born and raised. i love the rich history and folklore of the British isles and would be aghast if they cast robin hood as a black man in 15th century South Yorkshire as this would be historically and geographically impossible and would in no way be as the character was intended to be. the point being made in this article is a sound one, many will have no knowledge of history or its events and will assume that it is an accurate representation of the time period and its inhabitants, even historical fiction is an opportunity to educate. if we decide to start altering history to suit our tastes, it will eventually move from historical facts and accounts to opinions and fiction and no one should want that. the author makes a sound point about societal consensus if we portrayed prominent historical non white figures with white actors in biopics and historical fiction and the uproar that would ensue. i would propose that you Anita would be a vocal proponent if such a transgression took place and would probably babble about historical appropriation and ‘white washing’. its always important to remember that the shoe can easily be placed on the other foot.
Achilles is described as fair skinned and blonde in the Illiad. Also, Giannis isn’t Greek, he’s a Nigerian immigrant. You are unbelievably ignorant.
I really don’t give a damn about being politically correct it is a fact that Achilles was not black and he was white so why distort the facts I would definitely not be interested in watching a movie that Distort the facts and tries to change history and by the way I am not racist
This is no more than what can be er xpected by the media and Hollywood, TV productions ruled by Jews! Always out to destroy what is Greek, Hellenic that is!!! A clearer insult could not be made, call me a racist, so are you! But NO we do not have to take this insult even if there is the “Greek Freak”
Greece is one the races that has kept its strength through clear bloodlines. So no apologies here!, black Achilles!??? Just like having a black man play Hitler or a white man playing Malcolm X.!!!
Jean S. Plescha Well, the truth is that we are all originating from Africa. Genetics proves it beyond any doubt. All people on the world today came out of Africa some 60 thousand years ago and were all looking like Africans then. Our skin got whiter and our features changed a bit as we hybridized with Neanderthals and the environment around us changed. Yet even today genetically speaking all humans on earth are and compose one single race in all its variation. the Human race. If you have doubts I invite you to educate yourselves by visiting the Genographic Project from National Geographic, more than 15 years in the making. Search iit and see for yourselves, Heck you may even want to do the Genetic test to trace your own genetic ancestry as well.
Having said, this. Hellenic people, we take out history modern and ancient very serious. We study it from 3rd class in elementary school, and it starts even earlier at home.
if Achilles was African looking this would have been recorded painted or told via oral tradition. It is not a historical fact to portray Achilles as African looking. Achilles was the son of Pelleus, King of the Myrmidons, fair skinned and blond. It can constitute an insult to many too as evidenced by the whole controversy.
Not because of skin color, or origins, simply because of the ignorance expressed about a people’s history. Do you think it would be historically correct to make a series about Shaka the Zulu and have a European looking actor play him?
It is misrepresentation of history and a shame that with 100 million dollar budget the producers, scripters reasearchers could not find the facts of history to represent these series heroes as accurate as possible in this expression of events and people of Ancient Greece. It is sad and disappointing to see such ignorance of history, and from BBC and Netflix on top of it.
What an absolute disgrace!
The liberal movement in America is clearly out of its mind!
Anita dear, until the early 2000’s there were no black people in Greece, let alone Greek black citizens. Get your facts straight and please educate yourself before committing in writing your ignorance and race issues.
Dear Periklis, between 1986-91 I was at school in the Ampelokipi area of Athens (public, secondary), and had a black Greek friend in my class – a Greek citizen, by the way. Relax.
That’s nonsense. Memnon, the famous hero of the Trojan War, is an Ethiopian king. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memnon_%28mythology%29
Dont be ridiculous, Memnon wasn’t Greek he CAME from Ethiopia with his own army. There is NO argument here, Greeks are white, their gods are white and their national Greek heroes are also white! Anything else is filthy liberal distortion of reality
Anita Really?
I agree with the Pappas post opinion
Ioannis Plessas,
recent scientific discoveries place Europe as the birthplace of mankind and not Africa. And to be more precise, Greece and a certain part of Bulgaria of all places!!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/05/22/europe-birthplace-mankind-not-africa-scientists-find/
#1 – There are no such things as “races” , only racism. We are ALL human beings and racism is evil.
#2 – In his recent book, “A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived”, science writer Dr. Adam Rutherford correctly states that: “All of us are close cousins, because our species has a single African origin.” [And it really doesn’t matter if our common origin turns out to be Eastern Europe or Africa or Vietnam or….]
#3 – Nevertheless, it is historically incorrect to show Achilles as African, and the film’s director should choose an actor who more-or-less resembles the real person. (It’s the same problem with those movies which depict Jesus with blond hair and blue eyes).
#4 – On the other hand…let’s not waste too much time on this issue; the problems of poverty, war, the climate crisis, and so on are MUCH more important.
Trying to measure out the correct ethnicity of a mythological personage. (Mom is a goddess and Dad is a lion kinda thing) is …impossible. Add the demands of art and commerce that go into the casting of a movie. Bingo. Clever casting off Type brings in a audience that’s seen enough silly bottle blondes playing Greeks. It took centuries for the possibly historical role of Othello to be cast with a black actor, Sarah Bernhardt (ostensibly a woman) played Hamlet Prince of Demark. In Shakespeare Wallah all the bards characters are played by Indian actors. There’s room for all of them. Bring it on. The play’s the thing,you know. Truth and history make strange bedfellows at best. So who can doubt that All the world is a stage? And so it should be. The Gods are surely laughing it up off stage. Send in the swans. Burn the costumes. Add music. Do it on ice. Make it a cartoon! Sell tickets. Make it memorable. That’s why it’s lasted thousands of years. May it last a thousand more.
Oops. I forgot! Troy is in upstate NewYork, Athens is in Ohio, Vermont and Georgia…..all of this is because of the art of history that seduces us with its magnificence. Because no matter how hard they try it’s never going to be a science. It belongs …to all humans. It’s because Greeks shared that we know any of this. Trying to mark an artifact as cultural property of a single ethnicity is to drag It, and us, down to a forgotten grave. You want to put your chips on authenticity, make yourv story available only on marble tablets. And plan on a nice dark eternity resting there below.Ars longa vita
Brevis
There’s one thing to consider here. Although I agree with Gregory for the most part, Achilles is not a historical figure, like Barack Obama or Melania Trump. If BBC/Netflix wants to Africanize a myth, they should preamble the story as a description of the artist’s vision. But I think we are confusing history with art, and their respective origins. Just to play devil’s advocate here, let’s imagine this. If mythological stories are based on the ancients’ visions of the origins of the world, and if Homer’s stories were his brilliant visions of this idea, could we compare that to this modern artist’s interpretations of The Odyssey? If Netflix is “Africanizing” Achilles (remember, not an actual historical figure), can it be possible, that perhaps Homer’s interpretation of Achilles, thousands of years ago, during the golden age of Greece, was “Hellenized”? Are we that ethnocentric a nation to not even allow ourselves to entertain that notion? After all, there are theories, as controversial as they may be, that Cleopatra originated from Africa, and she was actually a historical figure. If one can theorize that notion, why can’t we open our minds and do the same with a mythological figure? Don’t get me wrong, I’m as proud a Greek as all of you. I just think that we should remember to recognize how to interpret art, and how history effects it throughout the ages.
Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Greek family of Macedonian origin that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great’s death during the Hellenistic period. To say that she originated from Africa is false, to say the least.
The Trojan War is not mythology but history. Heinrich Schliemann discovered Troy in 1870. The palace of Agamemnon is in Mycenae which you can visit today as well as the palace of Nestor, king of Pylos, which you can visiti in Messinia.
Changing the historical reality that the Ancient Greeks were ethnically white, is just another attempt to distort our culture and heritage.
You’re missing my point. Yes, the city of Troy existed in history but the story of Achilles and the Trojan War as written by Homer in the Iliad, is based on mythology. The fact here is that it is art, and art can be interpreted in many ways. If Homer described Achilles as a fair-skinned blond, why can’t another artist portray him as an African, possibly a descendant of ancient Sumeria? It’s a notion, and being an ethnocentric historian doesn’t help our cause. I’m willing to bet that if the ancient Greeks saw this interpretation today they would welcome it, because of their open minds, not shun it.
Well that’s just plain wrong – the Ancient Greeks were not of an open mind, they were even more ethnocentric than modern Greeks, going so far as to refer ALL non-Greeks as Barbaroi! Greek festivals and religious celebrations were closed to non-Greeks, and permanent non-Greek inhabitants of the Greek poleis were nearly all slaves.
You’re falling for this idealistic and fantastical view of Ancient Greece as the place of the enlightened, mystical super-Greeks, but in reality they were much the same as modern Greeks (both in looks and characteristics), but just further developed technologically and culturally than their neighbours.
To begin with, we have no historical proof that Achilles, was white and blond. He was probably hairy, dark skinned with black hair as most of men in the Aegean Sea Territory (Egypt included). We must also not forget that he was a fictional character and as a fictional character, he can be presented at any form his artist/director desires to present him. Achilles wasn’t a historical figure, or a politician. He was a symbol!!!!!!!!!
Once again, you have no idea what you’re talking about! Please see my comment above. Yes Achilles was a mythical character, not a historical one, but the author (Homer) clearly described this warrior/hero as a blonde GREEEK with blue eyes!!!! So by your accounts, lets just ignore the source material and make him whatever we please? As I said above, lets make Harry Potter an Asian boy with no glasses because why not? Ignore J.k. Rowling’s descriptions!! He’s a mythical character, a symbol right?! Cast whomever you please?! OR Katniss Everdeen of the hunger games, make her a male?! Right??? YOU DON’T MAKE ANY SENSE!!! To Greeks, Achilles was the vision that Homer portrayed, that’s what they’ve read and studied, and that’s who they expect to portray him, just like Harry Potter fans expect a white boy with glasses and brown hair and a scar. You’re changing the source material, and quite frankly culturally appropriating a character (achilles).
PLEASE WRITE THIS PIECE THE NEXT TIME A WHITE ACTOR PORTRAYS A GROUP OF PEOPLE HISTORICALLY BLACK. WHERE WAS THIS PIECE WHEN EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS CAME OUT? people like you need to stop writing even if its an opinion article because this just facilitates and normalizes white washing. i read the whole piece waiting for you to address all the whitewashing in Hollywood but not a fucking word. wow this piece really disgusts me.
For those of us familiar with media ploys to attract attention this is a classic provoke the public to gain attention gambit. And it has succeeded as this page testifies. The post colonial underfunded BBC desperately seeking column inches for free. Let it be guys. Lets watch a black Achilles to remind us how much respect Britain is showing history after claiming the stolen Parthenon Sculptures are a part of British heritage! Expect them to cast a woman as Jesus next.
I see the author’s point, what would happen if they cast Brad Pitt to play Martin Luther King in a film. Thats all he’s saying.
Boo check ur dna…. this series is a mythical story …it has the option of artistic creativity and they were all brown ppl to be historically accurate …MLK is a real person so there is no chance for artistic creativity for what he looks like
I find it ironic that the actual Ethiopians from the story: Memnon and his Ethiopian army, were left out of the story. Meanwhile not just Achilles, but Patroklos, Aaeneas (founder of Rome), Zeus and some others are portrayed by African descent actors. Why leave out the actual Africans from the story?
I don’t usually have problems with casting like this when the story is transplanted to another time (as many Shakespeare plays have been successfully done). It can work and open our eyes to other ways of seeing a story or to see the universal themes. However putting it in the Mycenaean setting makes it jarring. Maybe it will work. Who knows? Aesop of Aesop’s fables was an Ethiopian (hence the name Aesop).
The real problem I have with this casting is that it tells African descent people that they can only be shoe-horned into European Stories (be it the Iliad, or Beowulf or King Arthur or eve Robin Hood). It still is working from a Eurocentric perspective. I want to learn about the African stories as well as the European ones. I want to learn about Chinese stories, Indigenous American stories…told by the people whose culture it is. Multiculturalism means many cultures sharing….not homogenizing. People rightly decry Hollywood’s “White-washing.” That Exodus: Gods and Kings movie was lambasted for its choice of actors. It was almost all you heard about it (in fact it’s all I ever heard about that movie. I’ve never heard anyone say whether it was any good or not). Even movies that had white actors playing white characters who travel to China (The Great Wall) were decried as being “white-washing” until someone actually read the script (not a great movie, sadly).
On the other hand, I’ve never heard anyone complain when an Irish-Mexican Mestizo played the iconic role of Zorba the Greek — and became beloved of the Greek people.
Ignorant and racist post. If Greeks focused more on learning their language instead of their broken crappy Greek American, reading and learning Homer and the myths instead of wasting their time with this stuff we would all be better off. The myths belong to everyone. Being Greek is an idea not a race. This is the same mentality that killed Alexander. Congratulations to Netflix.
@ Hara Vam
What’s your point? I speak and read both Ancient and Modern Greek and am well read in Greek mythology, history and philosophy and find this to be highly offensive.
As for your final comment on Alexander, actually read a few books and you will find out what is wrong with your statement as it is quite ironic.
It would make more sense for ancient Greek characters to be played by actors from places like Magna Grecia, Sicily, the Greek islands, and Anatolia. Modern Greeks (regardless of nationality) tend to be very naive about their origins. Our ancient ancestors were of overwhelmingly SW Anatolian stock with significant heritage from father east in West Asia. There was also a small amount of DNA from northern Eurasia. So why aren’t all these proud Greeks mad about Northern Europeans appropriating our culture and portraying our ancestors? The reality is that “whiteness” wasn’t invented until over 1,500 of years after ancient Greek walked the earth. Modern Greeks like to think of themselves as the inheritors of the ancient Greek legacy. However, they much more closely resemble the Romans (Byzantines) in terms of culture and genetics. Don’t forget that the Byzantines destroyed more ancient Greek culture than any other group during the brutal rise of Christianity. Even the very image Greek have of themselves is based on the Renaissance view of the ancients, total whitewashed nonsense. I doubt anything I just said will sway the people that most need to educate themselves but I hope it will motivate research. Here are a few quick and simple links on some of the points I made above. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature23310 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3839092/The-face-Bronze-Age-fighter-revealed-Scientists-reconstruct-face-Griffin-Warrior-elite-group-3-500-years-ago.html https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/1.798089
Pathetic..and a usurpation of Greek history for neo liberal values that are destroying the world as we know it..I will not watch this garbage…YOU CANNOT CHANGE HISTORY FOR NEO LIBERAL IDEOLOGIES..!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For what it’s worth…
Ancient DNA reveals living Greeks are descendants of Mycenaeans
http://neoskosmos.com/news/en/Ancient-DNA-reveals-living-Greeks-are-descendants-of-Mycenaeans#.WfNexd4nQ04.email
The new BBC series is the latest salvo in a wider cultural war being waged against European identity… https://youtu.be/bOezzy_ngT4
The Ancient Greeks often depicted Achilles as black. http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=399372&partId=1&searchText=vase+exekias&page=1
Black-figure painting is a STYLE and has nothing to do with the race of the subject.
The BBC has missed an opportunity to tell the real story. Homer’s Iliad is the greatest ANTI-WAR poem of all time, hugely relevant to our own time. It recounts the horror and sheer waste of war. ” War with all its sorrows.”
Τhere is no “real story”.
Homer’s Iliad is not history. It is fiction.
Achilles was not a really existing person. He was an invented character.
Do you really think Homer would have been an essential part of Greek education for nearly a thousand years if it was not regarded as essentially true? The contempt for ORAL HISTORY is a recent prejudice.
This is offensive and racist. Did you write an article when they casted tiger lily as a white girl in the movie Pan base on the Peter Pan books. Probably not. Was it not offensive than to distort the facts of literature.
If any movie had a white actor portraying a black historical or mythological hero, there would be no end to the uproar and a resounding cry of racism.
So I ask, why is it ok for a black to portray a white historical or mythological hero?
There can be no doubt that Achilles was white, mythology or not. He is clearly described as such, and mythology aside, he is part of Greek history, and regardless if I come off as a racist, I find it insulting, just as I found most of the movies they have made about Greek history up until this point insulting and misinformative to the uneducated.
The next Bruce Lee movie should be a Swede with blonde hair and blue eyes. Political correctness is on steroids.
FYI—- In case anyone ever argues no-one knows what Achilles looked like – I assure you that he was never intended to be black. ( In the Iliad, Achilles has blonde hair («ξανθῆς δὲ κόμης ἕλε Πηλεΐωνα» = “she (Athena) grabbed Achilles by his blonde hair”; Iliad, 1.197)
So much false simmetry in here.
Let’s compare fairtytales with real and relevant people. Nice!
If we are gonna talk about “colorwashing” you racists-with-black-acquainteds would be doomed.
If Morgan Freeman can play God and al pacino can play the devil and Harvey Weinstein can play himself then David Gyasi and Leslie Jones have a right to play whomever they want. After all Ernie Hudson was in the original Ghostbusters and Johnny Depp can playTonto I almost forgot about that one. Oh wait Tonto never historically existed so that’s ok. NOT!!!!!! SHOVE THAT UP YOUR JUMPERS YOU BOOFHEADS!!!!
How hippocritical what about all the white Hollywood actors that play black/mediterranean people? How about the way that prophet Jesus is depicted as a european male when he was middle eastern (played by Mel Gibson), or Noah played by Russel Crowe.
I agree with the history argument, but worse than that I hate to admit I was confused. I stumbled across this miniseries on Netflix and had no idea what was going on. Finally, by the second episode I looked this series up on IMDB to figured out who the characters were. If you are going to make a historical change like this make it clear to the audience who is who. This confusion ruined the whole series for me and I did not bother to go back and rewatch episode 1 or continue forward.
I couldn’t say it any better! Thank you.
If this was a character that is invented for the whole purpose of this show, then they can’t cast as much as black people as they can. But it’s a different matter when it’s a universally distinguished character. They can’t go around changing the aforementioned characters’s distinctive traits for the sake of being politically correct or appealing to a certain slice of the community is totally absurd and unacceptable!
I am a woman of color, but I am also an avid Illiad reader. For me this matter not only does seem forced but also it feels like changing a character I’ve always loved.
If they genuinely want to give black and POC acting roles/representation, then they should put in genuine effort to create NEW/original characters for them in fresh stories – this would not only be more creative and entertaining (better then reusing and remaking old things over and over), but it would also show genuine work and effort. Hiring black people as white characters is the very definition of laziness. They’re only doing it to satisfy people enough that they wont complain. Its not real effort. Its also not accurate. Achilles has been described as having fair skin & reddish-blonde hair (thats how he was known). While I dont think its a big deal what he looks like (considering the netflix show is not historically accurate anyway), as someone who likes history i do think its important to also try to be accurate and fair. They could have cast a man with red hair – why not? You hardly ever say redheads getting roles. Also, as someone who is Mediterranean I disagree with the argument that we are not European/white. “White” does not just mean Anglo or Scandinavian. White people can be tanned or olive toned. White people can have light or dark hair/eyes. It doesn’t change the fact that we are all still European & “white”. Also, race was always a thing. Even in the ancient world. Not in the same way it is today of course, but to suggest otherwise is ignorant. Even in the ancient world certain physical features were preferred by certain groups… Lets not romanticise the past as if racism wasn’t a thing. The world was not that “multicultural” in ancient times. I think the bigger issue is that Hollywood can’t be bothered creating original characters and stories for POC.
And in regards to the Jesus issue, I think it would be great if a Middle Eastern actor was cast to play the role one day!
I think this actor should be cast to play the role of Muhammad.
In this version of ‘The Iliad’ is Achilles dipped in jenkem?
Wow, late to the party but this Movie and the “black actor” was amazing! Enjoyed it so much. I have never heard one of you slanted white people complain about white men and women playing Cleopatra, Moses, and even Jesus- speaking of a distorted sense of and understanding of history. The movie is great white supremacist be darned!