Marco Polo | PBS World Explorers

Video produced by PBS, for educational purposes.

While still a teenager, Venetian explorer Marco Polo set off to explore parts of Asia no European had ever seen before. Marco Polo followed in the footsteps of his uncle and father, journeying over 6000 miles from Venice while learning many new languages.

National Standards for History (3)
5.1D.4
Explain connections between trade and the spread of Islam in Central Asia, East Africa, West Africa, the coasts of India, and Southeast Asia. [Analyze cause-and-effect relationships]
5.7A.4
Account for the continuing spread of Islam and explain the importance of Muslims and Muslim civilization in mediating long-distance commercial, cultural, and intellectual exchange. [Examine the influence of ideas]
10.1.4
Trace major patterns of long-distance trade from ancient times to the present and analyze ways in which trade has contributed to economic and cultural change in particular societies or civilizations.