"Art and architecture, organized religion, writing, cities, social inequity, warfare, population explosions...all the blessings and curses of modern civilization can be traced to the seminal moment in prehistory when people decided that they wanted to live together in communities," writes Michael Balter in The Goddess and the Bull (New York: Free Press, 2005; $27), his arresting book about the excavations of Catalhoyuk, one of the earliest sites to show evidence of this "Neolithic Revolution." The folks behind the finds are exposed as well--both their triumphs and their bitter disputes.
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As Tut travels through the U.S. over the next two years, he's sure to spark an Egyptomania outbreak. But the land of the Nile offers much beyond the pharaohs. Egypt: From Alexander to the Early Christians (Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2005; $39.95), by Roger Bagnall and Dominic Rathbone, is a guide to the archaeology of its Hellenic period through the seventh-century Arab conquest. Though a bit heavy for the back pocket, the guide has excellent information, maps, and notes on site access--a good companion for a trip to Egypt.
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