John E. Hill

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I live with my long-time partner and editor, Jo Wynter, on a remote property in a beautiful tropical forest, west of Cooktown, Queensland, Australia over 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the nearest traffic lights.

Although I was born in Montréal, Canada (in 1943), I grew up in Port of Spain, Trinidad, West Indies. I am of English and French background with a dash of Beothuk - the native people of Newfoundland, who were hounded to extinction in the 1820s or 1830s. As a young man I trained as a Field Assistant and Laboratory Technician in virology in Trinidad.

I briefly attended the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. I then spent 2 years in Alaska doing fisheries research, but moved to Australia in 1964, and am now a citizen. I graduated as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse in Sydney and have worked as a nurse in both Australia and Canada. For many years I worked in remote Australian Aboriginal communities.

During 1979-81 my family and I lived in India and so began my passionate interest in ancient Asian history and globalisation.

I have remained an independent scholar, fascinated by the exchange of peoples, cultures, religions and trade between Asia, Europe and Africa.

I began translating Chinese texts while living in India. I am fortunate to have a wide communications network of historians, linguists, archaeologists and other specialists around the world ever since. Their many generous contributions have helped me to make this work an authoritative and useful historical source. The first edition, Through the Jade Gate to Rome, was published in 2009 and received wide scholarly acceptance.

I am told this revised and much-expanded edition will remain the definitive reference in its field for many years to come.