Ancestors - by Pierre Zalloua (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In recent years, as companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com have made genetic testing available across the globe, it has become relatively simple to find out where your ancestors came from. But acclaimed geneticist Pierre Zalloua believes that these test results have led to a dangerous oversimplification of what one's genetic heritage means. People have conflated genetic ancestry with other ways of defining themselves such as "origin," "ethnicity," and even "race" but give no attention to the complexities that underlie these concepts. Nowhere is this interplay more important, and more controversial, than in the Levant-an ancient region known as one of the cradles of civilization, and which now includes modern-day Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and parts of Turkey. Born in Lebanon, Zalloua grew up surrounded by people for whom this question of identity was one of life or death importance. In Ancestors, Zalloua uses the Levant to grapple with what being indigenous really means. He finds that DNA does not determine a culture or an ethnicity, but instead, one must look to their own history to understand their identity. Building on years of research, Zalloua tells a history of the Levant through the framework of genetics that spans from 100,000 years ago, when humans first left Africa, to the 21st century and modern nation-states. World-shifting and accessible, Ancestors will reshape the way you think about where our culture really comes from"--

Book Synopsis

An eye-opening investigation into ancestry and origins in the Middle East that synthesizes thousands of years of genetic history in the region to question what it means to be indigenous to any land

"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

In recent years, genetic testing has become easily available to consumers across the globe, making it relatively simple to find out where your ancestors came from. But what do these test results actually tell us about ourselves?

In Ancestors, Pierre Zalloua, a leading authority on population genetics, argues that these test results have led to a dangerous oversimplification of what one's genetic heritage means. Genetic ancestry has become conflated with anthropological categories such as "origin," "ethnicity," and even "race" in spite of the complexities that underlie these concepts. And nowhere is this interplay more important and more controversial, Zalloua writes, than in the Levant--an ancient region known as one of the cradles of civilization and that now includes Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and parts of Turkey.

Born in Lebanon, Zalloua grew up surrounded by people for whom the question of identity was a matter of life or death. Building on years of research, he tells a rich and compelling history of the Levant through the framework of genetics that spans from one hundred thousand years ago, when humans first left Africa, to the twenty-first century and modern nation-states.

A timely, paradigm-shifting investigation into ancestry and origins in the Middle East, Ancestors ultimately reframes what it means to be indigenous to any land--urging us to reshape how we think about home, belonging, and where culture really comes from.

Review Quotes

"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

About the Author

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.