Marco Polo

Marco Polo (http://history.cultural-china.com/en/60History2632.html (A old drawing))

Marco Polo

"Without stones there is no arch."(Marco Polo) This quote is from a bibliography and the stones symbolize his determination which led to the arch, which symbolize the success of him. Marco Polo was a great explorer and traveler born in the year of 1254 in Venetian. His father went to travel for several years so he only grew up with his mother, but when he was young his mother died and he was given to his uncle. When his father came back from a 17 year long journey and told him about the fantastic things he saw. Marco Polo started his journey when he was only 17 years old with his father and uncle. His father took two monks with them to bring the Christianity to the people in these unknown countries. (Marquis, Gale Database) He traveled through several unknown countries which were dangerous due to unknown diseases and thieves. The two monks were too scared to go further and went back, but Marco Polo didn't want to stop and marched through all the pain to get what he wanted: To discover the mysteries of these foreign countries and becoming famous.(Marquis, Gale Database)

Marco Polo is my personal hero because his determination brought him where no one ever went. His explorations made the fundamental for one of the greatest legacy that a single human made  and final the book he left behind was essential for a new world understanding. Marco Polo's determination, explorations and legacy made him a great hero.

Marco Polo was one of the greatest explorers of all time due to his determination to go where on one he went or wanted to go. The travel of Marco Polo started in Venetian where he was left alone by his father and raise by his uncle: "Marco Polo (c. 1254-1324) was a Venetian merchant and adventurer who made an extended, twenty-four year (1271-95), journey with his father Niccolo and his uncle Maffeo into central Asia, including seventeen years spent in Mongol-controlled China. He was among the first Europeans to visit this part of the world and was the first to record in detail the many things he observed there."(Moncrief) Marco Polo's determination to travel trough a country that know no one knows for twenty-four years and to copying down everything with detail created a legacy that should help generations after him to explore the world. Just the will and the determination to survive an odyssey that cost many man the life and were dangerous due to thieves and diseases during his travel through several foreign countries. He was only 17 years old and totally inexperienced in traveling; Marco joined his father and his uncle to a long journey: "At the age of 17, young Marco accompanied his father, Nicolo, and his uncle, Maffeo, on a three-year journey to China that took the travelers through Persia, Afghanistan, and other countries."(Moncrief) Despite being 17 and totally inexperienced, he decided to go on a journey which other people at that time would never even think about. Thanks to his father who was a great traveler himself since he was a child. Marco Polo's determination was finally to explore and doing something that no one would have done at that time. Questioning what is behind that horizon where no one ever went. 

The routes Marco Polo took in Asia. (http://www.vagobond.com/italian-vagobond/ (Vago Dimito))

Marco Polo's greatest explorations led to a totally new understanding of the world through various ways. Marco Polo's explorations really started off in China where he met the Khan after a long journey: "In 1271, Polo accompanied his father and uncle on the journey to China to meet Kubilai Khan. Marco Polo soon found his way into the favor of Kubilai Khan, and was appointed to go on many government trips throughout China, where he encountered many Chinese inventions (Stanford, pars. 5-6). "(Stanford University, Han) Marco Polo first came to the court of the Khan to make with him trading agreements, which resulted finally in the situation that he was appointed to several government trips throughout China. This can be the reason being of the high intelligence and the ability to learn and speak language after a short time.(Marquis) This was from massive use since he traveled through so many different countries. On the trips through China, Marco Polo documented every little thing he could see and never saw before. Simple inventions like paper where totally new for him and quickly caught his attention.  When Marco came back from Asia he wanted to travel a second time but this time the Rival of Venetian, Genoa was about to stop him: "In 1298, while on another voyage, Marco was apprehended by the Genoese. He was sent to Genoa and locked in a prison. It was there that he met Rustichello, a prisoner from Pisa who was a writer. As he was not at ease with the Venetian or Franco-Italian language, Marco dictated the story of his travels, the basis of Il milione, to Rustichello. "( Pamela,Gale Database, The Travels of Marco Polo) During a sea fight between Venetian and the city of Genoa, which Venetian lost, got Marco Polo caught and shipped to Genoa where he was held in prison. There in Genoas prison he met Rustichello who just used to be a writer. This luck made it possible for Marco to write all his experiences down. Even with a language barrier they managed to get some of the book together which will change the understanding of Asia for all time Il milione. (Marquis,GaleDatabase, The Journeys of Marco Polo and Their Impact) Marco Polo's determination to explore made him travel a long way to finally explore what no one ever did before. He recorded things which were never seen before and opened Asia for new traders, churchmen and explorer. 

Shows part of Marco Polos book. (http://www.finebooksmagazine.com/issue/200912/letters-4.phtml (Marco Polo ))

Marco Polo's legacy was one of the greatest towards the understanding of how people lived back in that time. Marco Polo's book was the fundamental for many upcoming voyages in the age of exploration: "Maps of Asia were based on his descriptions until the sixteenth century, and many of the ventures of the Age of Exploration of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, including the voyages of Christopher Columbus, were inspired by the "Travels." Marco Polo's book was not replaced as the most important source of information on central Asia until the nineteenth century and may, indeed, be the most influential travelogue ever written." (Pamela, Gale Database, The Travels of Marco Polo) Even long after his death he could inspire people with his travelogue to discover the world. This shows how important his travelogue was and how it contributed to the great explorations that were going on at that time. Marco Polo wrote eventually the greatest travelogue to this day and people trusted him and followed his book and were successful which reflects a lot more success for Marco Polo even after his death. Even without the necessary technology Marco Polo's books were only few, but still so successful that it got spread around the whole world: "Because Polo's account was written before the time of the printing press, copies of the book were made by hand. Today there is no known authentic copy of Il milione."(Marquis, Gale Database, The Journeys of Marco Polo and Their Impact)

  Marco Polo's book was translated into many different languages and copied over and over again. This resulted in that the scripts who copied that book often translated not word by word. That left room for maybe mistakes and the writers could change up that book on purpose or just take their freedom with it and translate so differently that it eventually means something totally different. The exact translation of this book is so important, because of the exact descriptions of the routes Marco took or the description of mechanic inventions in the foreign countries. The book never became useless or not authentic enough to help people through the foreign countries and starting the age of exploration. 

Marco Polo's determination was his obsession of discovering all these mysteries and he never gave up and went against all odds. His great exploration opened up the isolation between two great cultures. Finally his legacy gave all his knowledge to educate people around the world and change the understanding of the world. He wanted to see what other people never saw and write them down to let people know and educate them to let them grow above their small horizons. Marco Polo was understanding that there had to be more than just that. He inspired people with his determination to search and search until they find what they want and write it down and to share it with other people. Marco Polo was a keystone under the arch of the understanding what is on the earth and that people should understand and reach their maximal horizon. That is why he was the greatest explorer of all time.