In 1254, Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy. Marco was a Venetian merchant and explorer, whose travels in Asia molded the idea for the European image of the east up until the 19th century. Marco Polo was a large influence to many of the later explorers. Be it through his book, “The Travels of Marco Polo”, which mainly described Polo’s travels through China, Indonesia, and Persia between 1276 and 1291. There have been many speculations through the years whether Marco Polo accomplished all of the things he said he did. Despite the negativity, Marco Polo affected history, and is still important in learning about history to this day.
Details on Marco’s personal life is nearly non-existent, except for the information that is given in his book. …show more content…
Venice thrived on merchanting and trading, and the Polo family was no exception, being one of many families who set off on a journey for trade. At the time, Venice was developing and expanding one of the most lucrative banking system that western Europe had ever experienced. During Marco’s time, Venice was in a period of economic expansion and was the trade center of Europe. Merchants would travel from all countries across Europe, and even other continents, to trade their rare goods. This economy that Venice had gave Marco the ability to trade in East Asia, and fueled Marco into exploring much of Asia. When Marco returned from Asia back to Europe, he revealed many interesting things about Asian culture and economy, that was unlike anyone had ever seen. There were other Europeans that had traveled as far as Marco in Asia, but none of them studied and learned about the Asian culture as much as Marco did. Marco saw things that he had never imagined, and was in awe as to how much more advanced the East was from Europe. For example, Marco saw paper money for the first time in the Mongol Empire, and brought the idea back to Europe, and it was put into effect. This discovery, of many, influenced the European society to further develop research in their politics, economy, and trade …show more content…
This book gave Europeans a glimpse of lands and cultures that they knew little to nothing about. Perhaps if Polo’s father Niccolò and uncle Maffeo wrote down their first journeys, maybe their tale would have been even more inspirational. In other words, Marco Polo was definitely not the first explorer to reach the eastern lands that he did, but because he published what he found, he was brought to fame and his discoveries became significant. Although the book contained stories and information that was found by Marco, he was not the one that wrote it. A writer named Rustichello helped Marco in co-authoring the book. After hearings Marco’s stories of the east, Rustichello knew it was the story of a lifetime, and one of the most remarkable non-fiction stories told. Rustichello helped Marco make the book interesting and deliver enjoyment to the readers. Marco’s book inspired explorers who would later make an impact on Europe such as Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan. The Travels of Marco Polo not only inspired readers and adventurers, the book also had a historical value because it could be used as a resource to geographers and mapmakers as