Unfortunately, little objective and reliable data about Marco Polo has reached the current generation. There are no written testimonies of contemporaries left, and the basic information about this outstanding man can be gleaned from his own work and biography, compiled in the 16th century by the humanist Ramusio.
The documented discoveries of Marco Polo
It is known for sure that it was Marco Polo who became the first representative of the European continent, who not only visited many amazing countries of the East, Asia, and other exotic places, but also left detailed notes and some cartographic sketches.
It is worth noting that thanks to long travels and a book written on the basis of impressions, Marco Polo opened the way for his compatriots to the colorful and mysterious East Asia. His information has been used for several centuries. And descriptions of a geographical and ethnographic nature were relevant until the late Middle Ages.
The maps compiled by the traveler were very sketchy and not always completely reliable, but it was this option, as a guide, that Christopher Columbus took advantage of. Currently, US historians report that the famous library of Congress contains a certificate map, on the basis of which it can be argued that it was the famous Venetian who first set foot on the American continent, but he himself could not evaluate his discovery.
Marco Polo was the first of his contemporaries to inform the world about the existence of the wonderful Madagascar, about the "labyrinth" of small islands in Indonesia and about the mysterious country of Chambo, which he described during his wanderings in Indochina.
It is the Venetian traveler who is often credited with establishing long-term and productive contacts between the merchants of China, Mongolia and Europe.
Myths and truths hidden in the haze of centuries
For many years, there was only one version, stating that the "Book on the diversity of the world" was compiled from the real and reliable stories of Polo by his comrade in misfortune - the imprisoned Italian chronicler Rusticano. But based on the analysis of various sources, modern historians disagree. There are two main peer-to-peer versions:
The adherents of the truth of all the wanderings of Marco Polo argue: the absence of many details in the descriptions of the countries exist, because the records were kept from subjective memories, or inaccuracies were made by subsequent scribes of this work.
Historians-skeptics believe that, having made part of the aforementioned travels, Marco Polo skillfully summarized and documented information received from other wanderers. And popular rumor attributed additional merits to him.
But in any case, Marco Polo was an extraordinary man who managed to open the way for Europeans to other parts of the world.
