When certain people call African Americans prone to criminality, I am reminded that the Greeks said that Africans were the most blameless population on the earth. Not once! …Across many authors!
When Diodorus said “blameless Ethiopians,” he wasn’t throwing shade. He wasn’t saying, “Oh, you guys didn’t just steal 42.5 million square kilometers, colonize Australia, and invent genocide.” Nah, he meant the opposite. That’s right—blameless, as in “the opposite of savages.” Meanwhile, Western Europe was out there “sharing civilization” faster than you could say “Herero genocide.”
Till today Africans have committed the least atrocities of any continent—as supported by historical facts.
There is an important contrast between historical perceptions of African people and more recent, unfounded stereotypes. Diodorus Siculus’s description of the “blameless Ethiopians” reflects a long-standing admiration for African societies, particularly in ancient Greece and other classical civilizations, where Africa was often viewed as a land of wisdom, peace, and spiritual integrity. This is particularly important when juxtaposed against modern racist stereotypes, which have no grounding in historical realities.
When Diodorus referred to Ethiopians as “blameless,” he was expressing a respect for the moral and ethical standing of African societies, which, at the time, were often perceived as more just and peaceful compared to their war-prone European counterparts. The Greeks, and many others in the ancient world, saw the civilizations of Africa—not just Ethiopia (referring to northern Sudan) but also Egypt and Nubia—as centers of culture, spirituality, and governance. These were societies whose philosophical and ethical standards were deeply respected, contrary to the way European colonial narratives later painted Africa as “uncivilized.”
Western European colonialism, which involved widespread atrocities such as the Herero genocide and the colonization of entire continents, stands in stark contrast to the historical record of African societies. While no human civilization is entirely free from conflict, Africa’s historical legacy—prior to the ravages of the colonial period—shows far fewer instances of mass violence, territorial expansionism, and exploitation on the scale seen in Europe and its colonies. This is not to claim a utopian view of precolonial Africa, but it emphasizes that the destructive patterns associated with modern imperialism were not a defining feature of African civilization.
By drawing on this historical perspective, the facts, written evidence which North America so adores, and historical eye witnesses challenge modern racist stereotypes by reminding us of Africa’s contributions to ethical governance and moral conduct. The Greeks claimed Africans were the first to worship the gods. It is a necessary reminder that African societies have long been admired for their values, and the false image of African Americans as “prone to criminality” is a modern construct rooted in the violence, lies, and racism of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade.
In essence, the claims of ancient eye witnesses are historically valid and critical in addressing present-day biases. African people were once seen as models of virtue, and despite centuries of colonial distortion, this legacy of integrity and resilience endures.
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