Hist 161

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1) Explain the debate regarding the accuracy of Marco Polo's account. What are the problems with Marco Polo's account? How was it been redeemed as an accurate historical account? Marco Polo was known as “the Fabricator”. His friends and family believed him to be a compulsive liar. However, he did tell the truth at some points. For example, he claimed to see a unicorn (though not as elegant as he expected). In reality, it was a rhinoceros, and this adds to the assumption that he is a “Fabricator” by his own colleagues and family. Though this is a truth, Marco Polo sometimes lies and states that some myths and heresy is true. Many of his stories were considered fairytales. He stated that he saw massive birds swooping down and picking up elephants. These giant birds would then drop the elephant from a high altitude and then devour what remained of the elephant. There is a debate whether or not Marco Polo truly went to China. The side that does not believe Marco Polo traveled to China has this view because Marco Polo did not mention the Great Wall. In addition, the Chinese culture was not noted of. Being a foreigner, Marco Polo did not write about these strange things such as foot binding, calligraphy and etcetera. Not only that, but Marco Polo did not catch onto and learn the Chinese language due to the time he was there. Also, Marco Polo was not mentioned or documented about directly in the Chinese writings. However, three Venetians were written about. The problem with Marco Polo’s account is that there are one hundred and forty different versions. This means that it took over one hundred years for the account to become a part of Europe’s history. In addition, many people added on to Marco Polo’s account to influence views. Fo... ... middle of paper ... ... Kublai Khan was said to be a great leader, while being extremely tolerant on religion. Under Mongol control, the Chinese were not trusted. Kublai Khan appointed the government officials through selecting individuals that were not Chinese. A source of great power Marco attained many eastern technologies and introduced these innovations to Europeans. Marco Polo brought back a navigation device that was developed by the Chinese called a compass. This allowed the European to go navigate the world and explore in a more efficient way. Marco Polo also brought back “paper, paper currency, porcelain, raw silk, ivory, jade, spices, and noodles” (Historpedia). The most progressive innovation Marco Polo brought back was paper. With this technology, the Europeans developed a printing press. With paper money, people did not have to bring a large amount of coins with them.

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