> Greeks and Romans were not at all "white" by modern standards. Not only was skin color not a social construct at the time, but most Mediterranean peoples had darker, bronzed tones.
By modern physiological standards, the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Carthaginians, Persians, Hebrews, Babylonians, etc., were all white. They're still white now. This is why the formal term used in the US is "Caucasian", named after the Georgians and Armenians who a (European) anthropologist felt were the epitome of white beauty.
(Fun fact: the Romans would insult someone who they felt was lacking in the basics of humanity by saying that that person had been born not of a human mother, but directly from the Caucasus mountains. "Caucasian" probably wouldn't have caught on with them.)
There is another modern standard, which people don't like to talk about explicitly, reasoning as follows:
1. Whites are on top of the world.
2. Arabs don't look like they're on top of the world.
3. Arabs must not be white.
But this system of labeling people "white" isn't useful for much. This is how you get people who are upset that a group consisting of 40% East Asians is "lily-white".
You can see what the upper class looked like in Roman Egypt for yourself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fayum_mummy_portraits
By modern physiological standards, the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Carthaginians, Persians, Hebrews, Babylonians, etc., were all white. They're still white now. This is why the formal term used in the US is "Caucasian", named after the Georgians and Armenians who a (European) anthropologist felt were the epitome of white beauty.
(Fun fact: the Romans would insult someone who they felt was lacking in the basics of humanity by saying that that person had been born not of a human mother, but directly from the Caucasus mountains. "Caucasian" probably wouldn't have caught on with them.)
There is another modern standard, which people don't like to talk about explicitly, reasoning as follows:
1. Whites are on top of the world.
2. Arabs don't look like they're on top of the world.
3. Arabs must not be white.
But this system of labeling people "white" isn't useful for much. This is how you get people who are upset that a group consisting of 40% East Asians is "lily-white".