Uploaded August 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Whilst in prison at the end of the Thirteenth Century Italian writer Rustichello da Pisa began to hear extraordinary tales from his cell mate. That man turned out to be a Venetian merchant named Marco Polo. The tales that Polo then narrated to Rustichello eventually became the ‘Book of the Marvels of the World’. Usually known to us today as ‘The Travels of Marco Polo’.
This is Part Two of the Preface, concerning the travels of Marco Polo’s father and uncle.
Music:-
Kevin MacLeod - Ascending the Vale
youtube.com/watch?v=yD_TX8LqOTU
This is an original work by the Thirteenth Century writer Rustichello da Pisa and Venetian trader and explorer Marco Polo. Written over seven hundred years ago to record Polo’s extraordinary travels for posterity it remains one of the most important chronicles of the Medieval World, especially in regards to European involvement in the rest of Eurasia.
The words of this video come directly from Rustichello and Polo themselves, translated in the Nineteenth Century by Sir Henry Yule and slightly revised by Henri Cordier .
You can read the full text here:-
en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Travels_of_Marco_Polo#Preface
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Are you a budding artist, illustrator, cartographer, or music producer? Send me a message! No matter how professional you are or even if you’re just starting out, I can always use new music and images in my videos. Get in touch! I’d love to hear from you.
I try to use copyright free images at all times. However if I have used any of your artwork or maps then please don't hesitate to contact me and I’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.
Whilst in prison at the end of the Thirteenth Century Italian writer Rustichello da Pisa began to hear extraordinary tales from his cell mate. That man turned out to be a Venetian merchant named Marco Polo. The tales that Polo then narrated to Rustichello eventually became the ‘Book of the Marvels of the World’. Usually known to us today as ‘The Travels of Marco Polo’.
This is Part Two of the Preface, concerning the travels of Marco Polo’s father and uncle.
Music:-
Kevin MacLeod - Ascending the Vale
youtube.com/watch?v=yD_TX8LqOTU
This is an original work by the Thirteenth Century writer Rustichello da Pisa and Venetian trader and explorer Marco Polo. Written over seven hundred years ago to record Polo’s extraordinary travels for posterity it remains one of the most important chronicles of the Medieval World, especially in regards to European involvement in the rest of Eurasia.
The words of this video come directly from Rustichello and Polo themselves, translated in the Nineteenth Century by Sir Henry Yule and slightly revised by Henri Cordier .
You can read the full text here:-
en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Travels_of_Marco_Polo#Preface
This is a History Time production. Become a patron for as little as a dollar a month to vote on upcoming videos & help keep the channel going:-
patreon.com/historytimeUK
—Join the History Time community on social media:-
Facebook Page:-
facebook.com/HistoryTimeOfficial
Facebook Group:-
facebook.com/groups/410224606007519
Instagram:-
instagram.com/historytime_ig
Twitter:-
twitter.com/HistoryTimePete
History Time is now a podcast. You can find us on iTunes.
Are you a budding artist, illustrator, cartographer, or music producer? Send me a message! No matter how professional you are or even if you’re just starting out, I can always use new music and images in my videos. Get in touch! I’d love to hear from you.
I try to use copyright free images at all times. However if I have used any of your artwork or maps then please don't hesitate to contact me and I’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.



![Justinian: The Headless Emperor // Procopius Secret History // 6th century AD Primary Source
...for one of these asserted that he would rise suddenly from the imperial throne...and the head of Justinian would disappear suddenly, but the rest of his body seemed to keep making these same long circuits...
Here we have a Halloween special for you - Procopius Secret History, which portrays the then Emperor Justinian as not only cruel and incompetent but actually possessed by demons.
Rediscovered centuries after its writing in the Vatican Library, it was finally published in 1623. Possibly the result of Procopius disillusionment or even as a type of insurance to be released if anything were to happen to him, it covers the same period of Byzantine history as his History of the Wars; featuring all the same players but completely different in tone.
How do we actually know about history? Voices of the Past is a channel dedicated to recreating the original accounts from the people who lived through events, or who lived far closer to them than we do today. We do this word for word, with an accompanying soundtrack of rousing music and images.
— Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to subscribe for new videos every single week! & Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see covered in the future.
— Don’t forget to subscribe to our other channel History Time, where we make full length historical documentaries:-
https://www.youtube.com/historytime
— Music courtesy of:-
- Epidemic Sound
— Voice actor & editor:-
David Kelly
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please dont hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.
Thanks to:
Tataryn [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)] Justinian: The Headless Emperor // Procopius Secret History // 6th century AD Primary Source](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dLKfcjjJmJs/mqdefault.jpg)





![Letter from Genghis Khan Asking for the Secret of Eternal Life // (1219) Invitation to Taoist Monk
By the end of his reign, Genghis Khan was the most powerful man in history. As he oversaw his vast empire, there was one final enemy he found himself facing - his own mortality. Here we have the letter Genghis wrote to the famous Taoist monk Qiu Chuji urging him to cross the vast distance to come to his court, as the Supreme Khan wished to discover the secret of preserving life - immortality.
Check out the original source (and the story of the monk) at this excellent website:
https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/changchun.html
If this channel is something you like, if you think saving primary sources is important, head over to the patreon and join up!
patreon.com/voicesofthepast
— Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to subscribe for new videos every single week! & Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see covered in the future.
— Don’t forget to subscribe to my brothers channel History Time, where he makes full length historical documentaries:-
https://www.youtube.com/historytime
— Music courtesy of:-
- Epidemic Sound
— Voice actor & editor:-
David Kelly
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please dont hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.
Thanks to:
Hardcore-Mike [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)] Letter from Genghis Khan Asking for the Secret of Eternal Life // (1219) Invitation to Taoist Monk](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fQDNKP8L0Es/mqdefault.jpg)
