OBJECTIVE• SWBAT analyze primary

source documents to determine whether Marco Polo truly visited China during the Yuan Dynasty.

HOMEWORK• Analyze the primary source

documents using page 18 and 19 of your packet, then complete the left side of page 18 in your packet.

Did Marco Polo’s travels really happen?

LAW AND ORDER:HISTORY INVESTIGATION UNIT

Suspect Name: Marco PoloBirthplace: Venice, ItalyBirth date: September 15, 1254Occupation: Merchant

Artist renderings, no photos of suspect exist

Case Summary

In the late 1200s, a civil war raged between two Italian city-states, Venice and Genoa. In 1298, the police of Genoa arrested Marco Polo and accused him of spying for the Venetian army. Marco Polo was imprisoned without a trial.

Polo offered a unique defense. He argued that he could not have served the Venetian army since he had been in Asia for the past 20 years. While in jail, he told his story to his cellmate Rusticello who then wrote the story in a book called The Travels of Marco Polo.

Even in Marco Polo’s time, people doubted the stories in the book. The stories seemed far too fantastic to the people of Europe. At that time, Europe’s technology was well behind China’s technology. What seemed like “magic” to Europeans was simple science to the Chinese. Polo swore on his deathbed that his story was true, adding “I have not even told you half of what I saw.”

While most historians believe that Polo really did visit China, there are some historians who argue that he did not. Your job is to examine the evidence and determine the answer.

Did Marco Polo ever reach China, or did he simply make up the story based on what he heard from other travelers?

You decide.

Law and Order: Imperial China Video

Go to this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYHt4DuQq5w

Cai Wenji / 蔡文姫 Sai Bunki / 蔡文姫

Cao Cao / 曹操 Sou Sou / 曹操 Cao Pi / 曹丕 Sou Hi / 曹丕

Cao Ren / / 曹仁 Sou Jin / 曹仁

Dian Wei / 典韋 Ten I / 典韋

Jim Xu / 賈詡 Ka Ku / 賈詡

Pang De / 龐徳 Hou Toku / 龐徳

Xiahou Dun / 夏侯惇 Kakou Ton / 夏侯惇

Xiahou Yuan / 夏侯淵 Kakou En / 夏侯淵Xu Huang / 徐晃

Jo Kou / 徐晃 Xu Zhu / 許褚

Kyo Cho / 許褚 Zhang He / 張郃 Chou Kou / 張郃

Zhang Liao / 張遼 Chou Ryou / 張遼

Zhen Ji / 甄姫 Sin Ki / 甄姫

Zhuge Dan / 諸葛誕Jo Ka / 女媧

Toukichi / とーきち

Diaochan / 貂蝉 Chousen / 貂蝉

Dong Zhuo / 董卓 Tou Taku / 董卓

Lü Bu / 呂布 Ryo Fu / 呂布

Meng Huo / 孟獲 Mou Kaku / 孟獲 Yuan Shao / 袁紹

En Shou / 袁紹Zhang Jiao / 張角 Chou Kaku / 張角 Zhu Rong / 祝融 Shuku Yuu / 祝融

Zuo Ci / 左慈 Sa Ji / 左慈

Deng Ai / 鄧艾 Tou Gai / 鄧艾

Guo Huai / 郭淮 Kaku Wai / 郭淮

Sima Shi / 司馬師 Wu Shi / 司馬師 Sima Yi / 司馬懿

Wu I / 司馬懿Sima Zhao / 司馬昭 Wu Shou / 司馬昭

Wang Yuanji / 王元姫 Ou Genki / 王元姫 Xiahou Ba / 夏侯霸 Kakou Ha / 夏侯霸 Zhong Hui / 鍾會

Da Qiao / 大喬 Dai Kyou / 大喬

Ding Feng / 丁奉 Tei Hou / 丁奉

Gan Ning / 甘寧 Kan Nei / 甘寧

Huang Gai / 黃蓋 Kou Gai / 黃蓋

Ling Tong / 凌統 Ryou Tou / 凌統 Lü Meng / 呂蒙 Ryo Mou / 呂蒙Lu Xun / 陸遜 Riku Son / 陸遜Sun Ce / 孫策

Son Saku / 孫策 Sun Jian / 孫堅 Son Ken / 孫堅

Sun Quan / 孫權 Sun Shang Xiang / 孫尚香

Son Shouka / 孫尚香Taishi Ci / / 太史慈 Taishi Ji / 太史慈 Xiao Qiao / 小喬 Syou Kyou / 小喬 Zhou Tai / 周泰 Syuu Tai / 周泰

Zhou Yu / / 周瑜 Syuu Yu / 周瑜

Nobunaga / 信長 Nü Wa / 女媧

Guan Ping/ 關平 Kan Pei / 關平

Guan Yu / 關羽 Kan U / 關羽

Huang Zhong / 黄忠 Kou Chuu / 黄忠 Jiang Wei / 姜維

Kyou I / 姜維 Liu Bei / 劉備 Ryuu Bi / 劉備

Ma Chao / 馬超 Ba Chou / 馬超Ma Dai / 馬岱 Ba Tai / 馬岱

Pang Tong / 龐統 Hou Tou / 龐統 Wei Yan / 魏延

Gi En / 魏延 Xing Cai / 星彩 Sei Sai / 星彩

Yue Ying / 月英 Getsu Ei / 月英

Zhang Fei / 張飛 Chou Hi / 張飛

Zhao Yun / 趙雲 Chou Un / 趙雲

Zhuge Liang / 諸葛亮 Shokatsu Ryou / 諸葛亮

Fu Xi / 伏羲 Si Se/ 伏羲

Fuku Gi / 伏羲

The names of all visitors to the Kahn’s court would have been recorded. Below you will find a copy of the record from 1266, the year Marco Polo claims he arrived in the capital city.

Exhibit A: The Annals of Yuan Shih

The Collected Works of

Rustichello da Pisa

Table of Contents

The Romance of King Arthur … 3

The Magician’s Daughter ……. 237

Pixie and Gnome ……………... 423

Love in London ……………….. 675

Romantic Poems ……...……… 804

Short Fiction Collection …….… 864

MDCX

Exhibit B: Rusticello Rustichello da Pisa was the author of The Travels of Marco Polo. He was a fairly well known writer before writing the book. A few scanned pages of his works are provided for analysis.

The Creature of Sumatra

“In Sumatra, they have plenty of unicorns, which are scarcely smaller than elephants. They have the hair of a buffalo and feet like an elephant’s. They have a single large, black horn in the middle of the forehead. They do not attack with their horn, but only with their tongue and their knees; for their tongues are furnished with long, sharp spines, so that when they want to do any harm to anyone they first crush him by kneeling upon him and then lacerate him with their tongues."

Exhibit C: Passage #1 from The Travels of Marco Polo

CHAPTER XIII

CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF ANGAMANAIN.

Angamanain is a very large Island. The people are without a king and are Idolaters, and no better than wild beasts. And I assure you all the men of this Island of Angamanain have heads like dogs, and teeth and eyes likewise; in fact, in the face they are all just like big mastiff dogs! They have a quantity of spices; but they are a most cruel generation, and eat everybody that they can catch, if not of their own race. They live on flesh and rice and milk, and have fruits different from any of ours.

Illustration from a version of the book printed in the 1450s. Not from the original work.

Exhibit D: Passage #2 from The Travels of Marco Polo

What do you think of when you think of China? The Great Wall? Calligraphy? Chopsticks? Foot binding? Strangely, none of these are mentioned in the book about Polo’s travels to China.

Exhibit E: Missing Details

CalligraphyWriting is considered an art in China. Calligraphers would spend years perfecting their technique and were greatly respected.

Great Wall of China

Foot BindingFoot binding is the custom of applying painfully tight binding to the feet of young girls to prevent further growth. In Imperial China, bound feet were a mark of beauty. Women, their families, and their husbands took great pride in tiny feet, with the ideal length, called the “Golden Lotus,” being about 2.75 inches long.

Shoe for a woman with bound feet

Woman with bound feet

X-ray of a regular foot X-ray of a bound foot

Food and Drink

Bamboo Chopsticks

Chinese Tea Set

Tea Ceremony

Exhibit F: Marco Polo’s Will

The caption on this illustration reads: “By the strength of the eternal

Heaven, holy be the Khan's name.  Let him that pays him not respect be

killed.”

Here in his will, Polo indicates he received a “golden tablet” from Kublai Khan. This tablet would have been used as a passport so that Polo could have traveled anywhere in the Mongol Empire without restriction. To the left is an illustration from The Travels of Marco Polo.

Here in his will, Polo mentions Peter the Tartar, a servant he claims to have purchased while living in China. (The Tartars were a group of people living in China at the time.)

“Also, I release Peter the Tartar, my servant, from all bondage, as I completely pray to God to release my own soul from all sin and guilt.”

Five years later, the city of Venice gave Peter the Tartar all the rights of a Venetian citizen, so this person did actually exist. But just calling Peter a “Tartar” does not mean that Polo bought Peter in China. Most slaves in Venice, no matter where they where purchased, were called Tartars.

Exhibit G: The Beijing Bridgefrom The Travels of Marco Polo

• Over this River there is a very fine stone bridge, so fine indeed, that it has very few equals. The fashion of it is this: it is 300 paces in length, and it must have a good eight paces of width, for ten mounted men can ride across it abreast. It has 24 arches and as many water-mills, and 'tis all of very fine marble, well built and firmly founded. Along the top of the bridge there is on either side a parapet of marble slabs and columns, made in this way. At the beginning of the bridge there is a marble column, and under it a marble lion, so that the column stands upon the lion's loins, whilst on the top of the column there is a second marble lion, both being of great size and beautifully executed sculpture. At the distance of a pace from this column there is another precisely the same, also with its two lions, and the space between them is closed with slabs of grey marble to prevent people from falling over into the water. And thus the columns run from space to space along either side of the bridge, so that altogether it is a beautiful object.

To take a look at the Beijing Bridge…

… go to this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz8l6xRusRU

Exhibit H:Interrogation of Marco Polo

Tell us the truth! Did you really go

to China?

I swear, I went to China!

DETECTIVE: So, you went to China. How then do you explain your name not appearing in the records? Surely, an Italian would have stood out enough to be in them, right?

MARCO POLO: How do you know I’m not in the records? Do you speak Mongolian? You were looking for the name “Marco Polo,” I assume? That’s not my Mongol name, so why would it appear in the record that way?

DETECTIVE: So, what is your Mongol name?

MARCO POLO: Look, why would I tell you? You’re the detective. Prove me guilty if you can but I’m not going to help you.

DETECTIVE: Fine. Why didn’t you write about The Great Wall or foot binding in your book?

MARCO POLO: The great what? The only thing “great” in China was the Khan. There were walls around the cities, sure, but nothing called a “Great Wall.” As for the other thing, I’ve never heard of it either. We drank goat’s milk, water, and wine. Nothing like what you’re describing – are you trying to trick me?!

DETECTIVE: Is there anything you left out of your book that you’d like to go on record as seeing?

MARCO POLO: Did you even read the book? I said at the end I saw twice as much as I could ever describe in a book. Of course I saw more.

DETECTIVE: Anything specific?

MARCO POLO: Not that I’d want to tell you.

DETECTIVE: I can see you aren’t going to cooperate – just one final question. Can you tell me what this says?

MARCO POLO: I don’t know – mostly looks like some kind of squiggle writing.

DETECTIVE: It’s Chinese – are you sure you don’t know what it says?

MARCO POLO: I never bothered to learn Chinese, so no, I don’t know what it says. I’m done with this nonsense. I have nothing more to say.

Exhibit H: Interrogation of Marco Polo(Translated from original Italian)