Illustration depicting Marco Polo received by the Chinese emperor Kublai Khan. Marco Polo (1254 - 1324), Italian merchant, explorer, travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295.He was received by the royal court of Kublai Khan, who was impressed by Marco's intelligence and humility. Marco was appointed to serve as Khan's foreign emissary to India and Burma, and he was sent on many diplomatic missions throughout the empire. As part of this appointment, Marco also travelled extensively inside China, living in the emperor's lands for 17 years and seeing many things that had previously been unknown to European.
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Album / Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group