Ancestors

“Since time immemorial, the Levant—at the intersection of Europe, Asia, and Africa—has served as a central stage in the human drama. Both a scientist and storyteller, Pierre Zalloua masterfully interweaves DNA, climate science, archaeology, linguistics, and, yes, religion into a compelling portrait of this crucial region. But Ancestors transcends geography to launch an eye-opening inquiry into the relationship of genetics and identity. It’s a transformational read for us all.”—Jason Roberts, author of Every Living Thing and A Sense of the World“Blending science, history, and personal narrative to tell an accessible genetic history of the world, Ancestors is not only illuminating but a call to action to discover one’s own identity beyond DNA.”—Beth Shapiro, author of Life as We Made It“[Zalloua writes] with verve and feeling, even as he provides capsule histories of African and eastern Mediterranean communities and startling evidence that upends many of the most treasured assumptions about our cultural identities. A survey of population studies that is insightful, persuasive, and unfailingly humane.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Riveting. A gem of a book that changes how we should think about the past–and the present. Highly recommended.”—Peter Frankopan, author of The Earth Transformed“Enthralling … Zalloua brings urgency and humanism to the technical work of genetic analysis, arguing that genes offer a portrait of a past defined by constant change, and that twenty-first-century humans would do well to learn from such fluidity and connection. The result is a singular blend of science and history that makes a powerful argument against present-day sectarianism and nationalism.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Pierre Zalloua is a population geneticist focusing primarily on the eastern Mediterranean. He has a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of California, Davis. He has held academic positions at Harvard University, Khalifa University, the American University of Beirut, and the Lebanese American University and has authored or co-authored more than 180 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He is featured in a documentary film about his work produced by National Geographic entitled Quest for the Phoenicians.