American morning show The Today Show has gone under fire for "whitewashing" the Ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti.
Paleoartist Elisabeth Daynès recently created a replica of Nefertiti's head based on the legendary ruler's DNA remains and revealed it on the show.
Featuring light skin and hazel eyes, the replica has drawn plenty of negative feedback online, with many social media users accusing Daynès of wrongly portraying the North African ruler as a white woman.
According to the PR Newswire, the face of Nefertiti's mummy was digitally mapped to create a model of her head.
Relying on the model and forensic analysis, Daynès then put together the lifelike bust, which was revealed on The Today Show.
"This project is very special and very complex," Daynès is quoted as saying.
"I worked closely with forensic paleopathologists and anthropologists to determine accurate muscle, skin and soft tissue depth. Everything was meticulously calculated by hand."
The artist explained that it took over 500 hours to complete the replica, adding that the jewelry was handcrafted by Dior workers.
John Gates, who led the team that unearthed Nefertiti's mummy and examined it further, said the replica "likely [portrays] the true face of Nefertiti."
"Through 3D imaging and forensic reconstruction, she lives again," he wrote on Twitter.
However, tweeps weren't having any of it.
The bust's fair skin drew heavy criticism online, with many accusing the team of whitewashing the Egyptian queen.
People think the bust is far from reality
Nefertiti OR Susan from Connecticut?
"She doesn’t look very Egyptian"
"Melanin deficient Queen Nefertiti"
A bad start for Black History Month?
Accurate GIFs made an appearance
"Keep lying to yourselves"
Debates were in full force
"Whether Nefertiti was black or white is not a question that can be answered with ease"
"Whether Nefertiti was black or white is not a question that can be answered with ease," according to a report published in the Washington Post in 1990, as Ancient Egypt is considered to have been a multiracial society.
Some reports suggest that Nefertiti had a "light Mediterranean" complexion, or olive skin.
Meanwhile, as TheGrio - an outlet catering to African Americans - points out, Daynès' replica "has skin that looks freshly tanned as opposed to a skin tone of someone born with sun kissed pigment in her DNA."