In the Footsteps of Marco Polo
Your Mission
Retrace the steps of Marco Polo and discover what you can learn from the cultures you encounter along the way and what you might take home to share with your friends and family.
Briefing
Imagine that you have been asked to accompany an exploration party a long trip from Europe to eastern China, retracing the steps of Marco Polo. Now all you can think about is what it will look like there, what the people will be like, what you should pack, and what your friends and relatives will want you to bring back to share with them. (You can let your mum or dad worry about everything else.)
Perhaps explorer Marco Polo wondered about these things. In 1271, 17-year-old Marco left his home town of Venice, Italy, with his father and uncle, embarking on an adventure that lasted 24 years, and took him to places that Europeans had never even heard of.
“Loaded Them with Presents,” The Story of the Sea, 1895, From The Library at The Mariners’ Museum, GC21.Q11.
When Marco finally returned to Venice, he composed stories about his travels in a book called Description of the World. On his journey, Marco learned a lot about Asian cultures and customs, and his book included descriptions of some of these. For example, he wrote about burning coal for fuel and using paper money rather than coins. The Europeans borrowed these ideas, which were new to them, and made them part of their own culture.
Retrace Marco's footsteps to see these unfamiliar landscapes and cultures for yourself and to learn some interesting new things to share with your friends and family back home. Before departing, don't forget to pack some items to trade with the people you meet—perhaps something unique to New Zealand or valued in our culture.
Activities
Activity 1
Print out a basic outline map of Asia or access an online version to markup here, and mark Marco Polo's route . You can see Marco's route online via the following resources:
Use the Internet links to see what it's like in some of the places Marco Polo visited. Visit at least three places, and label them on the map. Choose at least one thing to bring back home from each place you go—it can be an object (maybe a type of clothing or tool) or an idea (perhaps an interesting custom or game). Then draw pictures of the things you'd like to take home. Write a description of each of these things, and explain why you'd like to take them home.
Concept Map:
Photo Gallery: The Adventures of Marco Polo -- National Geographic: See photos of sights along Marco Polo’s journey across Asia (including Iran, China, India, and more) in this travel photo gallery from National Geographic.
Marco liked fine muslin, still a cloth of choice in Baghdad, where a man is being fitted here. Marco may have visited Baghdad, but more likely he merely heard about it and other parts of Iraq from travellers; he often reported hearsay.
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