Enda80

Were ancient Hebrews especially prejudiced against sub-Saharan Africans? I ask because of that whole Ham story, and also because I think it highly unlikely that any ancient Hebrews had blond hair and blue eyes, but probably resembled Arafat or Osama Bin Laden (though, yes, you could tell Laden or Arafat from a sub-Saharan African).

Eldarion Lathria

Possibly, though there were very few sub-Saharan Africans within their ken. If you read the tale of the descendents of Ham, Shem, and Japhet, you will find the peoples of that area mixed up to no apparent reason. Canaanites are called descendents of Ham, though actually they were identical to Israelites save for minor details. Bibleists call Indians Semites, though they are not related in any way save being Homo Sapiens Sapiens . Others of the descendants of Noah were peoples the Hebrews had heard of in a vague way. eg. Gomer, who were the Gimarrai of the Assyrians and the Kimmerioi of Homer, Iavan which may be Iowon or the Ionian Greeks, and Meshech which is Mazaka in Kappadokia. (Now called Kayseri). I say vague way because the name Gog is used for a people, when in reality Gog is King Gugu (Gyges in Herodotus) of the Kimmerioi. Hamitic in terms of language is no longer much used.

Eldarion Lathria