What are the first incidents in written history when a European identified his race as being white and different from those in other continents?
I know that Romans had interactions with North Africans, but did they see themselves as being a white race in contrast to others who were not white? Did the Greeks distinguish themselves from any of their neighbours by skin colour?
You should check out these answers from the FAQ on racism:
Europe had normal diplomatic relations with non-white nations before turning explosively racist to justify their actions against all others. What happened to cause this shift? by /u/victoryfanfare
On race in the Roman Empire and How would an Egyptian in Alexandria at the turn of the millennium have perceived race and skin tone? by /u/cleopatra_philopater
Is it historically inaccurate to view the Greek and Roman conquests of North Africa as white European aggression against people of color? with Cleo and /u/RainyResident
Did polygenism play a role in the development of "scientific" racism? by /u/CommodoreCoco