I am interested in the origins of the Egyptian civilization and in particular technological and cultural influences from outside the Nile Valley.

This was a view expressed by Flinders Petrie in his paper on the 'Origins of the Book of the Dead' in which he states: 'It appears, then, that the cultural connections of the earliest Egyptians, as well as the physical descriptions in their mythology, point to the Caucasus region. When, further, we find there the names of the principal places of mythology in their relative positions, it gives strong grounds for regarding that region as the homeland of the earliest civilizations of the Egyptians’ . Sir William Flinders Petrie. (1926)

Given that the father of Egyptology was convinced of external Caucasian influences in pre-dynastic times, I wonder to what extent his views have been further researched?

I'd appreciate any advice/views.
Kurgan