John Anthony West's revolutionary reinterpretation of the civilization of Egypt challenges all that has been accepted as dogma concerning Ancient Egypt.

In this pioneering study West documents that: Hieroglyphs carry hermetic messages that convey the subtler realities of the Sacred Science of the Pharaohs. Egyptian science, medicine, mathematics, and astronomy were more sophisticated than most modern Egyptologists acknowledge. Egyptian knowledge of the universe was a legacy from a highly sophisticated civilization that flourished thousands of years ago. The great Sphinx represents geological proof that such a civilization existed.

This revised edition includes a new introduction linking Egyptian spiritual science with the perennial wisdom tradition and an appendix updating West's work in re-dating the Sphinx. Illustrated with over 140 photographs and line drawings.

John Anthony West (1932-2018), was an American author, lecturer, guide, and a co-author of the Sphinx water erosion hypothesis. His book Serpent in the Sky was released in 1979, and expanded on the ideas of French mystic and alternative Egyptologist Schwaller de Lubicz of the early 20th century. West suggested the Great Sphinx of Giza had been eroded by Nile floods after being created 15,000-10,000 BC by Atlanteans. Ten years later he teamed up with geologist Robert M. Schoch, seeking validation for his ideas. After investigating, Schoch initially made a more conservative determination of between 5000 and 7000 BCE, later pushing his minimum estimate back to 10,000 BC. This challenged the conventional dating of the carving of the statue circa 2500 BC.

In 1993, their controversial work was presented by Charlton Heston in an NBC special called The Mystery of the Sphinx. This won West a News & Documentary Emmy Award for Best Research and a nomination for Best Documentary. West is also well known for his 2001 series titled Magical Egypt: A Symbolist Tour.