Marco Polos Travels

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Marco Polos Travels

• U.S. History Chapter 3, Lesson 1

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Marco Polo

• Born in Venice (1254-1324),
• Over two decades traveling through China and
  Central Asia
• His writings about Asia made people ready to
  explore.
• Wrote about the powerful, and fearsome Mongol
  Empire.

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Marco Polo and Columbus

• In 1450, a German Printer invented a printing
  press that could mass produce books.
• Columbus was influenced greatly by the writings
  of Marco Polo.
• Description of the World
• Book of One Million Lies

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Example of Marco Polos Travels

• "When a man is riding through this desert by
  night and for some reason he gets separated from
  his companions and wants to rejoin them, he hears
  spirit voices talking to him as if they were his
  companions, sometimes even calling him by name.
  Often these voices lure him away from the path
  and he never finds it again, and many travelers
  have got lost and died because of this. For this
  reason bands of travelers make a point of keeping
  very close together. Before they go to sleep they
  set up a sign pointing in the direction in which
  they have to travel, and round the necks of all
  their beasts they fasten little bells, so that by
  listening to the sound they may prevent them from
  straying off the path."

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Violence of the Mongolians

• Mongolians Loved violence and the pride of
  conquest.
• The greatest pleasure is to destroy one's
  enemies ... to rob them of their wealth, and to
  see those dear to them bathed in tears, to ride
  their horses and clasp to your bosom their wives
  and daughters." (Khan)
• Horsemen
• Mongols could ride up to 80 miles a day, across
  deserts and mountains considered to be
  impassable.

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Meeting the Mongolian Ruler

• King Khan sent a letter, by way of Polo, to the
  Pope asking to be sent 100 men to teach his
  people about Christianity and Western science.
• Khan presented them with a golden tablet a foot
  long and three inches wide and inscribed with the
  words "By the strength of the eternal Heaven,
  holy be the Khan's name. Let him that pays him
  not reverence be killed."
• On his way home, Marco Polo received all the
  horses, lodging, food and guides that he
  required.

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Review Questions

• What individual was influenced greatly by the
  works of Marco Polo?
• Where did Marco Polo spend over 20 years
  traveling and exploring?
• What invention made possible the mass production
  of Marco Polos Travels?
• What animal allowed the Mongolian Empire to
  become so dominant?