Did the Romans see Africa as a black continent? Was there a perception of a divide between Africa and Europe?

Question

Nowadays the Western world perceives Africa as the continent of the black people and hence a standard African person as a black individual. How did the people in the Roman empire perceive the African continent and "its people"? Furthermore, North Africa was under Roman control for a very long time and Carthage was a very important city. This brings another question: Did individuals within the Roman empire perceive Africa and Europe as entirely separate places, as is the case today? If there was no divide between Africa and Europe in the social framework, then at what moment in history did people started seeing Africa as a totally separate place?

Answer 1

Hi, I think I can help you a little bit. Romans had a sense of Africa and Europe as separate geographical locations BUT they were much more focused on either ethnic/tribal differences or other ruling states. For instance, Carthage was such an important city because initially they had to tried to take over Rome. Hannibal crossed the Alps on elephants and the Roman general who defeated him (Scipio) was given the name Africanus in recognition of the victory. However, I would ask you is Carthage the entirety of Africa? Can you think of other ancient civilizations that existed during this time period on the African continent? Similarly, consider the differences between Gauls or Celts in ancient Roman times versus Europeans in the modenr context. Hope that helps!