guides
Who Is The 'White Egyptian,' And Did The Image Really Come From a Textbook? America's 'White Pharaoh' Meme And Viral Image Explained
Open your textbooks to page 10 and gaze upon the glory of America's own pharaoh. He looks like a Hollywood movie star from the 1950s, a White Egyptian so blatantly ahistorical that you can't help but laugh.
Yet, if you really did know your history, you'd understand that on the banks of the Mississippi River long ago a great king named Bass Pro Shop reigned and constructed a mighty pyramid.
This may be the best picture we have of the man who built that pyramid and the man who wrote the textbooks, but what's the story behind this absurd depiction and why is the so-called "White Pharaoh" so prevalent in memes across the internet? Let's explain.
Where Does The 'White Egyptian' Image Used In The Meme Come From?
Although many postings of the meme suggest it comes from a history textbook, the actual origin of the humorous image is a slot machine mobile game called Pharaoh's Fire. In the game, users can gamble on slot machines that feature a variety of Egyptian icons.
The game was released way back in 2014, but the image made its way online in 2017, possibly as part of a reference to the 4chan /pol/ meme "We wuz kings," which mocked theories about Ancient Egyptians being Black (the historical record shows that ancient Egyptians were neither Black nor white).
What Does The 'White Egyptian' Meme Mean?
Popular meme posting of the White Egyptian picture started from a tweet that claimed he was in school textbooks. These posts commented on the quality of history education in the United States and the lack of representation of diverse people.
While the image of the white Egyptian may not literally be from a history textbook, it evidently matched the experiences of many online who learned a version of history that didn't include people who looked like them.
Why Do People Post The 'White Egyptian' Meme?
The meme has been used in many contexts since it first emerged on the web in 2017. Often, it points out examples of whitewashing or racism. The Ancient Egyptians did not look like modern-day caucasian people, particularly since the racial categories used today did not exist at the time of Ancient Egypt.
The meme has also been used simply as an absurd image to joke around with or make up stories. Since he wears a pharaonic headdress, the white Egyptian has been recognized as a ruler who makes decisions but may be influenced by outside factors, such as the cats the Ancient Egyptians used to worship.
To learn more about the White Egyptian meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry on the topic.
