Traveling.. Why do people go on journeys ? What sorts of things do people often bring back from their travels?

Marco Polo’s Travels

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.

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”

Example of Marco Polo’s 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."

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.

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.