Marco Polo (1254-1324) was a Venetian merchant believed to have
journeyed across Asia at the height of the Mongol Empire. He first set
out at age 17 with his father and uncle, traveling overland along what
later became known as the Silk Road. Upon reaching China, Marco Polo
entered the court of powerful Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, who dispatched
him on trips to help administer the realm. Marco Polo remained abroad
for 24 years. Though not the first European to explore China—his father
and uncle, among others, had already been there—he became famous for his
travels thanks to a popular book he co-authored while languishing in a
Genoese prison.
