--- product_id: 4123719 title: "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" price: "31.49 DT" currency: TND in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/4123719-shadows-of-forgotten-ancestors store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors **Price:** 31.49 DT **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors - **How much does it cost?** 31.49 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/4123719-shadows-of-forgotten-ancestors) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Exciting and provocative . . . A tour de force of a book that begs to be seen as well as to be read.”— The Washington Post Book World World renowned scientist Carl Sagan and acclaimed author Ann Druyan have written a Roots for the human species, a lucid and riveting account of how humans got to be the way we are. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a thrilling saga that starts with the origin of the Earth. It shows with humor and drama that many of our key traits—self-awareness, technology, family ties, submission to authority, hatred for those a little different from ourselves, reason, and ethics—are rooted in the deep past, and illuminated by our kinship with other animals. Sagan and Druyan conduct a breathtaking journey through space and time, zeroing in on critical turning points in evolutionary history, and tracing the origins of sex, altruism, violence, rape, and dominance. Their book culminates in a stunningly original examination of the connection between primate and human traits. Astonishing in its scope, brilliant in its insights, and an absolutely compelling read, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a triumph of popular science. Review: Have You Ever Wondered Who We Are? - After I read The Dragons of Eden, I learned that Carl Sagan explored more than cosmology. He also explored evolutionary biology-stimulated by his wife, the biologist Ann Druyan. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a book that Sagan and Druyan wrote together. It is much more scientifically rigorous and sophisticated than The Dragons of Eden, and deals not with the evolution of the tripartite brain, but on the evolution of consciousness itself. Druyan and Sagan write that we are like babies left in a basket on a doorstep, never knowing and always wondering what our ancestry is. For me, the most influential of the book's explorations involve the study of the levels of consciousness in other animals, aside from the human animal. Through study after study, many amusing and all interesting, Druyan and Sagan emphasize that the difference between the consciousness of the human animal and other animals is "a difference of degree rather than kind." Indeed, some of the studies indicate that some of the other animals may have consciousness that surpasses in degree that that of the human animal. The book stresses that we will not understand who we are until we view ourselves as part of a continuum, and the book also explorers the history of human resistance to this idea. One or two of the chapters were too difficult for me to understand as a non-scientist, but I was basically able to understand the book while only skimming the difficult chapters about DNA construction and such. It was nice to know that rigorous science was part of the book. This is one of those books that will change your outlook on the world. Review: One of the best books I've ever read! - Even after all the amazing fiction books I've ever read, this book by far surpasses any of the other great ones I have ever read. This book literally describes the history of our existence, of all life on earth, from the beginning of our solar system. The great difference between this book and some other science book is that Sagan uses his amazing writing skills to make it as though you're reading a story, a beautiful remarkable story that leads all the way up to you! I pace myself at around one chapter a day just so I can take in all the great new facts and perspectives of life and to also manage other reading I'm doing, but by far, this book literally makes me excited just when I touch it. When you think Sagan can't get any better, boom! I recommend this book to ANYONE who wants to know the amazing story of us, mankind, or even more, the whole spectrum of life. Sagan might not dive in as much as a college biology student may like, but he does adequately cover numerous processes and interactions between organisms from altruism, sex, and more! Whereas a biology book may describe HOW a certain process works, Sagan goes back to the origins and explains WHY it happened to work like that in the first place. This book is a fascinating ride to the beginnings of our ancestors and I recommend it to anyone! ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #71,831 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #18 in Genetics (Books) #63 in Anatomy (Books) #645 in Sociology (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 654 Reviews | ## Images ![Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Lg7ApCihL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Have You Ever Wondered Who We Are? *by T***S on May 12, 2004* After I read The Dragons of Eden, I learned that Carl Sagan explored more than cosmology. He also explored evolutionary biology-stimulated by his wife, the biologist Ann Druyan. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a book that Sagan and Druyan wrote together. It is much more scientifically rigorous and sophisticated than The Dragons of Eden, and deals not with the evolution of the tripartite brain, but on the evolution of consciousness itself. Druyan and Sagan write that we are like babies left in a basket on a doorstep, never knowing and always wondering what our ancestry is. For me, the most influential of the book's explorations involve the study of the levels of consciousness in other animals, aside from the human animal. Through study after study, many amusing and all interesting, Druyan and Sagan emphasize that the difference between the consciousness of the human animal and other animals is "a difference of degree rather than kind." Indeed, some of the studies indicate that some of the other animals may have consciousness that surpasses in degree that that of the human animal. The book stresses that we will not understand who we are until we view ourselves as part of a continuum, and the book also explorers the history of human resistance to this idea. One or two of the chapters were too difficult for me to understand as a non-scientist, but I was basically able to understand the book while only skimming the difficult chapters about DNA construction and such. It was nice to know that rigorous science was part of the book. This is one of those books that will change your outlook on the world. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the best books I've ever read! *by C***R on June 21, 2013* Even after all the amazing fiction books I've ever read, this book by far surpasses any of the other great ones I have ever read. This book literally describes the history of our existence, of all life on earth, from the beginning of our solar system. The great difference between this book and some other science book is that Sagan uses his amazing writing skills to make it as though you're reading a story, a beautiful remarkable story that leads all the way up to you! I pace myself at around one chapter a day just so I can take in all the great new facts and perspectives of life and to also manage other reading I'm doing, but by far, this book literally makes me excited just when I touch it. When you think Sagan can't get any better, boom! I recommend this book to ANYONE who wants to know the amazing story of us, mankind, or even more, the whole spectrum of life. Sagan might not dive in as much as a college biology student may like, but he does adequately cover numerous processes and interactions between organisms from altruism, sex, and more! Whereas a biology book may describe HOW a certain process works, Sagan goes back to the origins and explains WHY it happened to work like that in the first place. This book is a fascinating ride to the beginnings of our ancestors and I recommend it to anyone! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A leisurely but wonderfully informative read *by C***N on January 9, 2010* Written in the early 1990s by American scientist Carl Sagan and author Ann Druyan, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is in some degree a printed update of his popular television series "Cosmos" produced some 10 years earlier. It would be easy to pass off both the series and the book as out-dated, but in fact they are both current and historic because of their prescience and because the science that they describe has not changed as much as it has advanced. The purpose of the book is to explain the origins of humanity, starting at the Big Bang and going right through the development of stars, planets, organic molecules, primitive life forms and the evolutionary processes that took place thereafter. It is thoroughly fascinating book from which I learned a great deal. If there's one criticism that could be made of the book (as of the TV series), it would be that it takes a rather leisurely and meandering path through both space and time. Yet I never once found it dull or boring, and a higher speed might easily have left me floundering. Sadly we can't expect an updated version of the book because Sagan died in 1996. I therefore recommend purchasing this book whilst it remains available. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/4123719-shadows-of-forgotten-ancestors](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/4123719-shadows-of-forgotten-ancestors) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-06-05*