José Soto Chica was a professional in the military with the peace-keeping UN (UMPROFOR) in  Bosnia Herzegovina. An explosives accident cost him his leg and left him blind, and gave him the chance to redirect his life towards his true passion of history. He is currently a doctor of medieval history and professor and researcher at the Centre of Byzantine, Neo-Greek and Cypriot Studies. He is the author of the monographs Byzantium and the Sasanians (2012), Byzantium and Sasanian Persia: Two Confronting Empires (2015), Empires and Barbarians. The War in the Dark Ages (Despertaferro, 2019), and The Visigoths. Sons of a Furious God (Despertaferro, 2020), as well as collaborator in the editing, translation and study of The Didascalia of Jacob.