The book argues, contrary to the widespread view that no outsiders ever influenced traditional China, that Indian Buddhists and northern nomadic peoples shaped traditional China throughout its long history.

[20][21][22][23][24][25][26] In April 2020, The Year 1000: When Explorers Connected the World—and Globalization Began was published to mostly favorable reviews.

[27][28][29][30] In a review in Early Medieval Europe Søren Michael Sindbæk wrote that she "expends five pages pursuing a paper-thin case for Maya reliefs showing Norse captives.

Hansen is a conscientious scholar, and admits to alternative interpretations; yet she opts to promote the one story that fits the book’s vision of globalization, knowing that it is a fringe theory.

The fleeting moment of Norse explorations in North America is thus emphasized out of all proportion.