John Anthony West

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.