Replacing “Ethnicity” with Investigations of More Specific Identities in the Ancient Nile Valley

Abstract Egyptologists have long asked what ethnic group something belongs to or what ethnicity someone in the past belonged to. This paper argues that seeking ethnicity in the past is not helpful for understanding the complexities and nuances of ancient social interactions and history. Instead, this paper advocates for scholars to seek the answer to more specific questions about ancient peoples. By seeking specific questions about nuanced aspects of identity, we can understand the complexities of ancient peoples, their choices, and their interactions. This paper demonstrates the problems that arise when we only seek the answer to questions about ancient ethnicity. It acts as a guide to scholars willing to advance towards nuance in their questioning by looking at examples from art, archaeology, and texts.