Marco Polo

1254 – 1324 · died at about 70^[1][2]

Exploration

Fun Facts About Marco Polo

• Marco Polo did not bring pasta to Italy from China: the legend is a misconception that originated with the Macaroni Journal, a food industry publication.^[1]
• Polo's famous travel book began in prison: during a war with Genoa he dictated his stories to a cellmate, the romance writer Rustichello da Pisa.^[1]
• Venetians reportedly nicknamed Polo Milione, meaning Million, because he kept saying that Kublai Khan's wealth was counted in millions.^[1][3][4]
• Polo never mentions the Great Wall, tea, or chopsticks, which led some to doubt he reached China, though historian Mark Elvin concludes the book is in essence authentic.^[1]
• Christopher Columbus was inspired by Polo's description of the Far East to want to visit those lands himself.^[1][5][6]
• Polo's last duty for Kublai Khan was escorting the Mongol princess Kököchin to Persia to marry its ruler, a story confirmed by Persian and Chinese sources.^[1][3][4]
• Mansa Musa and Marco Polo were alive at the same time.^[1][2][7][8]
• Marco Polo was alive at the same time as Rumi — their lives overlapped for 19 years (1254–1273).^{[1][2][9][10]}

Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in The Travels of Marco Polo, a book that described the then-mysterious culture and inner workings of the Eastern world, including the wealth and great size of the Mongol Empire and China under the Yuan dynasty, giving Europeans their first comprehensive look into China, Persia, India, Japan, and other Asian societies.^[1]

Contemporaries

Dante Alighieri

56 yr overlap

Mansa Musa

44 yr overlap

Kublai Khan

40 yr overlap

Ibn Battuta

20 yr overlap

Thomas Aquinas

20 yr overlap

Rumi

19 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Marco Polo

When was Marco Polo born?

Marco Polo was born on September 15, 1254, and died on January 8, 1324.

How old was Marco Polo at death?

Marco Polo was born on September 15, 1254, and died on January 8, 1324, at age 69.

What was Marco Polo known for?

Marco Polo was known for: Venetian explorer of the Silk Road. Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in The Travels of Marco Polo, a book that described the then-mysterious culture and inner workings of the Eastern world, including the wealth and great size of the Mongol Empire and China under the Yuan dynasty, giving Europeans their first comprehensive look into China, Persia, India, Japan, and other Asian societies.

Who was alive at the same time as Marco Polo?

Marco Polo's closest contemporary was Dante Alighieri. Their lives overlapped for 56 years.