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Marco Polo Old Time Radio Program
15 minute serial adventure
“Facing Death and Danger with a Laugh on his Lips”
Marco Polo was born in 1254 and died sometime around 1324. He was the son of
successful Venetian merchant, Niccolo Polo. Niccolo and Marco's uncle Maffeo
were merchants who had traded along the Silk Road with the east (China, Mongolia,
Persian, and other hard to reach lands) and had met the Great Kublai Khan on
one of their journeys. They arranged for a return trip, and on that second trip
they brought Marco along. At this time Kublai Khan basically ruled the world.
His empire was something like four times the size of the Roman Empire. If the
Khan 'asked' you to do something, it wasn't really a request.
All three Polos made the return trip to Mongolia. And like unwelcome relatives,
they spent 17 years there. Kublai Khan took a liking to Marco, who was an interesting
and imaginative storyteller, which has driven historians nuts ever since. Marco
was sent on many missions throughout the Mongol empire, including ambassadorships
and governing the city of Yangzhou. Marco carried out these diplomatic assignments
but also related his observations back to the Khan about the lands he traveled
to, probably embellishing them to for dramatic effect.
According to Marco’s travel account, the Polos asked several times for
permission to return to Europe but the Khan appreciated the visitors so much
that he would not agree to their departure. Only in 1291 Kublai entrusted Marco
with his last duty, to escort the Mongol princess Koekecin (Cocacin in Il Milione)
to her betrothed, the Ilkhan Arghun.
Upon their return to Venice, people loved to hear his stories, but few really
believed him. Marco Polo was later captured in a minor clash of the war between
Venice and Genoa. He spent the few months of his imprisonment, in 1298, dictating
to a fellow prisoner, Rustichello da Pisa, a detailed account of his travels
in the then-unknown parts of China. Though Polo's book exaggerates places and
cultures (and some scholars believe he never went as far east as China but only
described places other travelers had been to), his book was widely published,
translated into many languages, and thousands of copies were printed.
Polo's book includes fanciful accounts of men with tails and cannibals seem
to be around every corner. The book is somewhat a geography of Asian provinces.
It is divided into chapters covering specific regions and Polo delves into the
politics, agriculture, military power, economy, sexual practices, burial system,
and religions of each area. Polo brought the ideas of paper currency and coal
to Europe. He also included second-hand reports of areas that he had not visited,
such as Japan and Madagascar.
This Old Time Radio Program was created by the Australian BBC, and tells of
Marco's journey and adventures in 15 minute serialized episodes. The programs
all tell one story, each episode is not a stand alone tale. Each episode tries
to end on a cliffhanger leading you to tune in next week.
All of our Old Time Radio Programs are in MP3 format. You can play them
on your computer, you can transfer them to MP3 players (like the IPod), but,
by and large, you cannot play them on stereos, walkmen, or car radios.
The sound quality of Old Time Radio Programs can vary greatly. Some episodes
are excellent, others you have to turn up the volume a little and ignore the
static. All of the episodes can be listened to and enjoyed. You can listen to
our free samples to get a feel for how the programs sound.
Adventures of Marco Polo 48 episodes
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_01.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_02.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_03.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_04.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_05.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_06.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_07.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_08.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_09.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_10.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_11.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_12.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_13.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_14.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_15.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_16.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_17.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_18.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_19.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_20.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_21.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_22.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_23.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_24.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_25.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_26.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_27.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_28.mp3
xx-xx-xx_adventures_of_marco_polo_chapter_29.mp3
xx-xx-xx_adventures_of_marco_polo_chapter_30.mp3
xx-xx-xx_adventures_of_marco_polo_chapter_31.mp3
xx-xx-xx_adventures_of_marco_polo_chapter_34.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_35.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_36.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_37.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_38.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_39.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_40.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_41.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_42.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_43.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_44.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_45.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_46.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_47.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_48.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_49.mp3
xx-xx-xx_Adventures_Of_Marco_Polo_Chapter_50.mp3
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