Petra Rediscovered: Lost City of the Nabataeans.

GLENN MARKOE, ED.

From the third century B.C. through the first century A.D., the City of Petra flourished at the intersection of two major trade routes of the Middle East, one running from Syria south to the Red Sea, the other from the Persian Guff west to the Mediterranean. The people of Petra, known as the Nabataeans, constructed hundreds of carved-rock tombs and temples, more than 3,000 of which have been recorded to date. Petra was rediscovered in 1812, after having been lost for more than 1,000 years. Once modern archaeological research began in the 1950s, scientists began to cobble together details of how Petra's temples, theaters, shops, and houses were built. Recent research has unearthed a new understanding of Petra's ancient terraces, dams, and irrigation channels, which supported lush gardens and pools. Rife with imagery from the site, this oversize book draws on the work of nearly 30 scholars who have studied this ancient place and the society it once held. Abrams, 2003, 288 p., color/b&w photos/illus., hardcover, $70.00.