Marco Polo

1. Marco Polo's Family

1.1. His way was paved by the exploring was of his father, Niccolo

1.2. His mother appears to have been shrewd, liquidating Niccolo's assets in Constantinople [now Istanbul] when she foresaw the fall of the Crusaders

1.3. The Polos doubled their assets in the court of Berke Khan, who was a suprisingly secular leader for his time

2. Polo's Journey

2.1. Marco Polo went to Asia along the Silk Roads

2.2. He vistied the very arid Iran

2.3. He enjoyed the climate of Afghanistan, which was "benign" and supposedly cured the yellow fever one of the travelers was facing

2.4. He presumably met a Mongol Emperor, distrusted of his subjects, in whose court Marco Polo gained prestige

2.5. He is said to have visited the city of Teidu, modern-day Beijing

3. Polo's Book

3.1. Polo wrote *Il Milione or "The Million" translated into English as "The Travels of Marco Polo"

3.2. He supposedly wrote part of it while in prison, held by the genoese, great maritime rivals of the Venetians at sea during the 1200's

3.3. The book was often mistranslated due to its wide success, with aspects added to make it grander and little regard for authenticity

3.4. The book was also hevaily exporgated by the Church when it was translated into Latin

3.5. Some see Polo as a hero, others as a fraud who didn't even go to China, citing his failure to mention tea, the drink of choice of Emperors for several dynasties.