The Parchment is a peripatetic adventure story, interwoven with a nascent romance that starts in Egypt when Alexandria is captured by the Muslims in 641AD. The travellers depart with a precious vellum that holds the key to unlocking the lost language of the Pharaohs as well as containing a secret formula, dating from the time of Archimedes. They encounter scenes of desolation and numerous hazards on a journey that takes them to Sicily and the Italian mainland, where the parchment is to be delivered to monks at the famous Monte Cassino Monastery. Describing a time when external enemies and internal divisions threatened the future of civilization, the story raises fundamental questions that are increasingly relevant today, where the comfortable existence that the West still enjoys can no longer be taken for granted in an increasingly hostile world. Peter Deakin grew up in Sydney in a family of nine children. He worked most of his adult life as a barrister but has now abandoned the law in favour of writing and attempting to improve his watercolours. He divides his time between Sydney and his farm where he breeds Angus cattle and produces olive oil. He has two adult sons and still enjoys sailing, tennis and skiing, despite the impediments of advancing years. He has written two non-fiction books "No Man's Land" and "Whatever It Takes" but "The Parchment" is his first published novel, incorporating his love of history into a riveting adventure story set in the depths of the Dark Ages, when only pockets of civilization survived.