Secrets of the Sand: the Revelations of Egypt's Everlasting Oasis.

The Dakhleh Oasis in Egypt's western desert has been home to several civilizations over time. In fact, archaeologists have found evidence of hominid habitation there more than 400,000 years ago. About 25 years ago, two Canadians began the Dakhleh Oasis Project. Much of the region had been untouched for some 3,000 years preserving a treasure of archaeologically relevant sites. Some of the most astounding antiquities ever have been unearthed, including the world's two oldest books, an archive of 10,000 papyri, hundreds of prehistoric tools and weapons, and huge caches of mummies, Not all the items discovered are from ancient Egyptian civilizations, Nearly half, including an entire city, are linked to ancient Romans. Thurston enriches archaeological research with his own experience to present in rich detail a portrait of how each group of people survived in such a place and set the stage for others. He considers, for instance, how both nomadic cattle herders and people who conceived of the great pyramids called this area home, Arcade, 2003, 388 p., b&w photos, hardcover, $27.95.