This monograph, in its second, hard-to-locate edition, is a touchstone in the history of ideas. Noticing similarities in the monumental architecture of European sites and the edifices of the Pyramid Age in Egypt, Smith proposed a viable connection between the two. This connection he had tied to ethnicity in a challenge to conventional anthropological models. Tying proto-Egyptians with the ancient peoples of Syria, Smith set up an organic link between the two cultures. He explores the political relations in the Middle East in antiquity and, specifically, how Egyptian culture spread. This second edition also includes a chapter on the famous tomb of King Tut.

Grafton Elliot Smith (1871-1937) possessed an unusual background for one so interested in the ancient Egyptians. An MD with a special interest in comparative neurology, he became fascinated with the Egyptians after taking on a position at Cambridge University and moving on to teach in Cairo. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society and appointed to teach at the University of Manchester. He eventually moved to the University College of London where he spent the remainder of his career.