Was lighter or darker skin pigment valued higher in ancient Greek civilization?

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When studying Ancient Greek History, I must say that I do not remember any major works on Race. This is not to say that Ancient Greeks were unaware of the concept of race, however, it is to suggest that in the long history of Ancient Greek arts and letters, race, as we understand it today, was rarely addressed as a major or central academic topic.

One may be able to find extraneous and peripheral references to race by Homer, Herodotus or Aristotle. However, the centuries old interactions that the Ancient Greeks had with several ethnic groups, were more intercultural in nature and not necessarily interracial in nature.

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Aristotle

β€œThose who are too Black are cowards, like for instance, the Egyptians and Ethiopians. But those who are excessively White (like the Scythians) are also cowards as we can see from the example of women, the complexion of courage is between the two.”

Upvote:16

In ancient Greece blonde hair was associated with beauty. For example in Homer's Iliad we learn of the unmatched beauty of Helen of Troy, who was depicted as having blonde hair. Likewise the beautiful Aphrodite was known for her golden hair, which is confirmed in Hesiod's writings, as well as many ancient artworks. There are numerous other cases of light hair being associated with beauty and / or superiority, but these are two of the best known examples.

Now in light of the beauty / superiority associated with the characters in these ancient writings and artworks, and given the fact that most Greeks had dark skin and hair due to the Mediterranean climate, it is plausible that the less common blonde hair was seen as favourable.

I say plausible because I struggled to find concrete evidence that suggests this to be the case. However the poet Bacchylides wrote of how Spartan women used saffron to lighten their hair, so perhaps this answers your question.

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