Y do people always use people who look more like nordics or alpines to play parts in Roman documentaries?

Question

The romans were originally mediterraneans but in most of its documentaries there are many people who tend to be more nordic or alpine than mediterranean. It would be nice to give credit to us mediterraneans for our achievements then and stop portraying romans etc. to appear to be alpine (which is ok) and even more so nordic (which is not okay)!

Answer 1

It's simply racism. Hollywood does not like to show anyone who isn't white as cultured and powerful. It undermines their ideology that only white people have benefitted society.
In answer to the follow up question, from one of your answerers; Cleopatra was black, although she was an Egyptian she was of 'nubian' heritage. Nubia is now known as Ethiopia/Sudan. So she never resembled Liz Taylor.

Answer 2

Before the Muslims conquered Italy, the Romans looked more like Nordics - natural blonde hair was common. We know this from their writings and mosaics that have survived. When the Muslims, a darker people, conquered the Italians (after the fall of the Roman Empire), they mixed and created a darker Italian race. Whereas before most Italians were fair-skinned and blonde, they are now swarthy and brunette. The same thing happened to the Spanish.

To answer Boo!'s question: Cleopatra was descended from the Greeks that conquered Egypt in Alexander the Great's army. They depict her as white because she was white. Like the Italians and the Spanish, the Greeks used to have lighter pigmentation before they were conquered by Muslims.

Answer 3

I've never noticed that myself.

I'm not an history expert but here are my two cents to the topic:

The ancient Romans descended from the Etruscans. The Etruscans' predecessors were situated in the North; Cerveteri, Tarquinia, Vulci, Vetulonia. They didn't necessarily have to be dark skinned, black haired and black eyed.
Second, the Roman empire grew to a huge size. It can be assumed that many if not most Roman legionnaires hadn't been of "original Roman" heritage.
Plus, dark skinned and dark haired Italians mostly descended from Arabians who came to Italy after the Roman empire had fallen.

I wouldn't say it's safe to suggest that todays Italians look different than ancient Romans but I think it's pretty much safe to assume that people from various "races" had lived in the Roman empire back then.

Edited/added: Biographies claim Emperor Nero had been red haired by the way. I'm not sure which "race" he decendend from but I remember some Roman "race" who is said to have been red haired.

Answer 4

Much of it probably has to do with the British tradition of Shakespearean drama--any drama depicting Roman life, or any adopted from Greek tragedies and so on were performed in Shakespeare's time. As a result, we tend to equate theatre, and consequently, any dramatization of ancient times with British acting.

Answer 5

If they had sexy looking Italian women in these documentaries then nobody would pay any attention to the subject matter.

Answer 6

I have a similar question: why is Cleopatra always portrayed as a white?

Answer 7

I think they are just type-casted as those characters....most people stereotype anyway