Abstract
The reliability of Marco Polo's famous travel account has been challenged time and again. It is all the more important, therefore, to submit the sparse documentary sources offering direct and incontrovertible evidence about him and his close relatives to a thorough examination. Once these documents are inserted within their contemporary context, they enable a partial reconstruction of the economic activities conducted by two generations of the Polo family before, after, and in connection with the journeys of their members in Asia. They also shed new light upon Marco Polo's personality, lifestyle, wealth, and place in Venetian society, and substantially enhance the authenticity of his travel account.
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