Marco Polo

University of Tübingen sinologist and historian Hans Ulrich Vogel argued that Polo's description of paper money and salt production supported his presence in China because he included details which he could not have gotten otherwise. The most quoted specific date of Polo's birth is somewhere "around 1254". 1254 – January 8-9 1324) was a Venetian merchant traveler whose travels are recorded in Livres des merveilles du monde a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China.

He also had an influence on European cartography leading to the introduction of the Fra Mauro map. He was released in 1299 became a wealthy merchant married and had three children. Marco Polo (/ˈmɑrkoʊ ˈpoʊloʊ/; Italian pronunciation: [ˈmarko ˈpɔːlo]; c.