Ep 54: Marco Polo Records the Glory of Pax Mongolica

Between the glories that were the Roman and British Empires, the Mongols ruled the largest empire to date.  And Marco Polo, a 20-something kid from Italy was on hand, in the court of the great Kublai Khan, to record what things were really like.The records that Marco Polo left behind reveal not an impoverished, back-water, uncivilized nation of blood-thirsty warriors but rather a very rich, very powerful, very sophisticated civilization, one full of economic and cultural bounty.Mongol chic fashion made its way all the way to England and Marco Polo was instrumental in introducing Western ideas to the East and exposing Eastern grandeur to the West.Polo's writing shaped Western thinking for generations, revealing the reality of East, proving the existence of the disputed Antipodes, and describing a manner of ruling that became the model for Christian Kingship in the West.Read more about Marco Polo and other adventurers in "The Fourth Part of the World; An Astonishing Epic of Global Discovery, Imperial Ambition, and the Birth of America" by Toby Lester.*****As always, you can reach the Buf at [email protected]*****As you know, this is an independent podcast so your hosts also carry all the expenses of running this podcast.  As such, some of you have asked how you can help out.  Well, here's the answer: support us on Buy Me a Coffee:https://buymeacoffee.com/bufnagleOn this page, you can do a really nice thing like send us a couple dollars to help cover the cost of recording and hosting and microphones and research and all that.  Any little bit really helps!  Thank you in advance!!!