This is a book that changes the way we see history, removing the emphasis from Europe and placing it in Asia, the lands from the eastern Mediterranean to the Himalayas. It begins with the Romans and their successors who went east rather than west for riches and began a global traffic that extended to China. The book puts everything in context from the development of religions to the spread of disease. You cannot read this in one sitting. You can read it over days and return to specific chapters later to clarify important points. Very well written but requires an investment of time and thought.