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Marco Polo
POLO, Marco (1254-1323?). In 1298 a Venetian adventurer named Marco
Polo wrote a fascinating book about his travels in the Far East. Men read
his accounts of Oriental riches and became eager to find sea routes to
China, Japan, and the East Indies. Even Columbus, nearly 200 years later,
often consulted his copy of 'The Book of Ser Marco Polo'.
In Marco's day the book was translated and copied by hand in several
languages. After printing was introduced in the 1440's, the book was
circulated even more widely. Many people thought that the book was a fable
or a gross exaggeration. A few learned men believed that Marco wrote truly,
however, and they spread Marco's stories of faraway places and unknown
peoples. Today geographers agree that Marco's book is amazingly accurate.
Marco Polo was born in the city-republic of Venice in 1254. His father
and uncles were merchants who traveled to distant lands to trade. In 1269
Marco's father, Nicolo`, and his uncle Maffeo returned to Venice after
being away many years. On a trading expedition they had traveled overland
as far as Cathay (China). Kublai Khan, the great Mongol emperor of China,
asked them to return with teachers and missionaries for his people. So they
set out again in 1271, and this time they took Marco.
From Venice the Polos sailed to Acre, in Palestine. There two monks,
missionaries to China, joined them. Fearing the hard journey ahead, however,
the monks soon turned back. The Polos crossed the deserts of Persia (Iran)
and Afghanistan. They mounted the heights of the Pamirs, the "roof of the
world," descending to the trading cities of Kashgar (Shufu) and Yarkand
(Soche). They crossed the dry stretches of The Gobi. Early in 1275 they
arrived at Kublai Khan's court at Cambaluc (Peking). At that time Marco was
21 years old.
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