Marco Polos Influence on Christopher Columbus...

Marco Polos Travels formulated in Europe of the fourteenth and fifteenth century a new perception of the Eastern world, a world just as advanced and sophisticated as that of the West. Yet, another two centuries were needed for a significant change to take place; this was Christopher Columbus voyage. For Christopher Columbus, Marco Polos travelogue was a valuable and solid resource that contained the necessary details of the East. The geographical descriptions in his writing generated a basis for Columbus scientific calculations for his expedition and the explicit depictions of the luxury of Cipangu and Cathay, flawed though they were, created a strong motivation for Columbus. In the 12th of May 1492, Christopher Columbus, accompanied†¦show more content†¦Marcos book remained more for entertainment purposes until the 1450s and 60s when Johann Gutenberg invents the letterpress and catalyzes its spread. At first, many people were skeptical about his book. His writing contained many mentions of legends and myths that seemed to be quite exaggerated. Neither did Marco include any descriptions about the Great Wall. Regardless of these controversies, his book became one of the first books to be massively published through the Gutenbergs letterpress. Travels spreads out through Europe in no time. By the time all of Europe is shocked by his book, Marco approaches his death, leaving the last words: I have only told the half of what I saw! Whether or not Marcos words were reliable was not an issue at this point. In the years following Marcos death, immense changes occurred in the minds of Europeans including the perception of world geography, directly affecting Columbus preparations. The TO map best represents the medieval understanding of the world. (Diagram attached to the back) The circle O, represents the world and the branches of the T, the Don and the Nile. Asia fills the upper semi circle and in the left and right of the upright section of the T, which represents the Mediterranean, lays Africa and Europe. In the center is Jerusalem and at the top is Earthly Paradise of Adam and Eve, believed at the time to be the source of great rivers such as the Tigris and the Euphrates. Images of NoahsShow MoreRelatedChristopher Columbus s Voyage Preparations And His Religious Beliefs1401 Words   |  6 PagesChristopher Columbus lived during the early modern period, more precisely the Renaissance (Boucher). At the time, the pre- modern worldview that once dominated Europe since antiquity (existen ce to 476 C.E) began to vanish due to new intellectual way of thinking, which ultimately mature in the modern way of thinking (Boucher). 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