Definition: Australian-born British medical anatomist Sir Grafton Elliot Smith's most important contribution to archaeology is his anatomical studies of Egyptian mummies, published in 1912. These studies were detailed and ground-breaking, stressing the importance of soft-tissue anatomy, and providing a great deal of information concerning New Kingdom pharaohs, their general health and their inter-relatedness.
Smith was involved in early studies of Piltdown Man, producing an accurate cast of the skull, and is even one of the minor suspects for perpetrator of the famous hoax. He was a hyper-diffusionist, who believed, and, worse, published extensively in academic circles and the Illustrated London News, that all of civilization was diffused out of Egypt.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Smith was involved in early studies of Piltdown Man, producing an accurate cast of the skull, and is even one of the minor suspects for perpetrator of the famous hoax. He was a hyper-diffusionist, who believed, and, worse, published extensively in academic circles and the Illustrated London News, that all of civilization was diffused out of Egypt.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
