https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1uJCNSU-tfz4Smqy_qcJnyzDgTNMH_Cw&usp=sharing
Page 9 of 14
Rebecca Roberts
10/9/25
Map Link:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1dFC_i5o6dFNlABaNC-yVjRnl9nmoOAs&usp=sharing
My map is categorized based on Marco Polo’s focus at each location on his journey. The blue markers (Khan-Balik, T’ai-yuan-fu, Si-ngan-fu, Ch’êng-tu-fu) are places where Polo gives a descriptive and detailed account of the location. They’re often the capitals or main trade and industry centers. The locations marked yellow (Cho-chau, P’ing-yang-fu, Ho-chung-fu) are places where Polo valued and discussed the place’s functions more than his commentary about the places. They were almost like a pitstop, and he wasn’t staying for a long time. The locations marked dark red (Kara-moran, Han-chung, Tibet) are places where Polo was focused on or impacted by its terrain and landscape.
The Travels of Sir John Mandeville: Mapped
Marvels (Purple): For Mandeville, Constantinople, Ephesus, and Cyprus all present an intersection of various themes such as Christianity, geopolitics, and customs. Thus, Mandeville describes them with a contrasting tone to the islands and cities he rattles off throughout his account. These locations are distinct in that they are not solely Christian, but places with individuals whose practices differ from Mandeville. In all three locations, Mandeville references a time in which Christians controlled the city, but acknowledges that in every instance, that is no longer the case. Nonetheless, these places retain a certain level of importance based on their relics and sites.
Christian (Red): Chios, Patmos, Marc (Myra), and Rhodes are among the several locations Mandeville connects primarily to Christianity. They receive less attention from Mandeville because they are already relevant within the Christian mind. The figures Mandeville associates with these locations, such as Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Nicholas, are known by his audience. Thus, Mandeville seeks to connect the dots rather than overembellish as he does in his description of the ‘Marvels’. Additionally, at these more typical Christian stops, Mandeville references trees and wine practices, underscoring the tradition of wine and the widespread influence of Christianity in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor.
Regional Myths: Lango and Adalia present differently than many of Mandeville’s other descriptions. Rather than connecting them back to himself, his audience, and their shared Christianity, in Lango and Adalia, Mandeville tells the regional myth of each location. This practice not only reflects Mandeville’s appreciation for other cultures’ origins, but an awareness that his reader will want to hear about something totally new. Rather than explicitly condemning these myths, Mandeville legitimizes their function within their associated culture.
Walking Route (Blue Line): Outlines the route from place to place, ‘by foot’.
Bodies of Water/Waterways (Yellow): The bodies of water and waterways Mandeville mentions when travelling between these locations.
Land and Water Route (Pink Line): A route that shows the progression from one location to the next, including the bodies of water/waterways that Mandeville mentions.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=13531Eb_0CAQceQjtGwrNvYPxAlyzdmA&usp=sharing
This is the link to my map!
For Categories:
This may be simplifying things a bit, but for the colors of my points, I based them off of the attitude and general impression Marco Polo was giving off when he encountered a new place. This would generally be based on the people he encountered, which seemingly ruined his experience on multiple occasions. Green are for places he seemed more generally in awe of or respected, due to the wealth and society he encountered. Red are for places where his disgust in the people seemed to create a negative impression and override any natural beauty to be found, and where he notes people to live like “brutes” or “savages” or to be unbearable. Yellow are just for places he really said nothing about or were uninhabited.
Map Link: https:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1hkQKf45XcmjMVuCAmPp4r1d6uf_AFXc&usp=sharing
Category 1: The Beginning (Green)
I grouped the first few cities before Alexandria together as marking the start of Ibn Battutah’s long journey. These cities are not important to him religiously or culturally so much as they are the first major locations he visits and introduce the young traveler to his new life of pilgrimage.
Category 2: Holy Land (Red)
This category involves many of the cities Ibn Battutah seemed excited to visit for their religious significance. From Alexandria to Jerusalem, his focus was on the spiritual and it drove him to detour in search of these significant places.
Category 3: New Perspectives (Purple)
The last two cities of Aleppo and Damascus were hard to place, but due to the paths Ibn Battutah took, I felt it was a more freeing part of his journey. He had a less direct course and seemed in no rush to reach his destinations, staying in smaller towns and cities longer than before and appreciating local cultures far more.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1HbuaCGSKFTQ6g2a401ydKwmg9ks_1mk&ll=43.03211994311013%2C18.638816449999965&z=5
Margery primarily describes what directly impacts her (such as conflict with her fellow pilgrims) and the strength of her connection to God. For each location, I have chosen an icon that represents something she emphasizes in her description of her time there. Additionally, I have color-coded these locations with yellow, green, or blue in order to depict how connected to God Margery feels at these locations (evaluated by the amount she weeps). Yellow locations are those in which Margery briefly discusses or mentions her feelings of religious passion. Green locations are those in which she depicts a strong, direct connection to God (with crying). Blue locations are those in which she feels so connected to God, her body is fully overtaken with excessive, passionate weeping.
Link to map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1082MP0YP3BZxcec2I4clQzskHm2Z1_w&usp=sharing.
Key:
I chose to divide up the locations on my map by how they are described by Mandeville. As he never actually traveled to these places, it is interesting to note what he attributes to these places. Therefore, I color-coded them based on this metric.
I used grey for places that get no real description. These are only given a sentence at best, and some are just invoked to give a sense of direction to the journey. Adrianople, for example, is simply put in a list of places one has to go to on the way to Constantinople. The other such locations are the city of Nicaea and the island of Kos.
Green is used for places Mandeville describes for something to do with nature. On Chios, he says, are found mastic trees which grow like plum or cherry trees. He also describes how a strong wine is made in Myra, but its description shares importance with the next category which is…
Red for religion. Because Mandeville’s book is meant for prospective pilgrims, this takes up a lot of time in his descriptions. He says Myra is important for being the place where St. Nicholas was elected Bishop. More time is given to places like the island of Patmos and the city of Ephesus. The former is where St John the Evangelist wrote the Apocalypse and the later where St John died and was buried. His tomb still can be found in the city, but his body was taken to heaven leaving behind only manna, though some say he is still resting there till the day of Judgment.
Yellow is used for a non-religious fable. Again, Mandeville never actually travelled to these places, so it is interesting to note when he completely makes something up. For example, he says the city of Satalia (modern Antalya) was a ruin because a monster, birthed because of an act of necrophilia, forced the people to abandon it. Far from being true, Satalia was actually a major city during the period.
Finally, purple denotes a place where Mandeville dedicates a substantial amount of description. The first such place is Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Mandeville describes the many Christian holy sites and other places of interest to pilgrims, such as a miraculous golden plate confessing belief in Jesus far before he was born. The other place marked purple is Cyprus, which gets a similar treatment, Mandeville mentioning where to see the Cross of Dysmas. These places also have some discussion of cultural practices, like the habit of the Cypriots to eat on the floor.
Google Earth Link: https://earth.google.com/earth/d/1v7kiuzXSZ4p4Aypj01Zrl8P6ZBQ6v2wK?usp=sharing
***I am using a different translation of the text, if some city names are not familiar, it is because my version of the text is weird. Thank you for understanding!***
Red: Major Cities Kanbalu (Beijing) and Kin-sai (Hangzhou)
The red markers indicate major cities. These are distinctive cities that Polo pays extra attention to. Some notable qualities of both is that a person of great power and high imperial distinction lives there (such as the Khan), the city is large and has a great population, there is a bountiful trade market in the city, there is notable architecture, the livestock and goods are very valuable, and finally that the economy of the city and specifically the treasure belonging to the Khan. These cities serve as capitals to either the region or greater territory.
Yellow: Chan-glu (Cangzhou), Tin-gui (Changzhou), Yan-gui (Yangzhou), Non-king (Nanjing), Sin-gui (Suzhou), Kin-sai (Hangzhou)
The yellow markers signify cities or regions that Marco Polo pays special attention to because of their economic value and output into the trade market. For instance, Chan-glu is one of his first stops going down the eastern coast of China. Polo notes the great amount of salt they produce and how they are able to harvest it from the salt-water in that area. Another notable city Polo talks about is Yan-gui which is notable for the arms and other military goods it produces for the greater area. Polo notes that because this city is so good at producing means for war, many soldiers are stationed in that part of Cathay (China).
Blue: Kara-moran (Yellow River), Singui-matu (Jining), and The Great River Kiang (Yangtze River)
The blue markers are waypoints for any location Marco Polo travelled to that has considerable geography, specifically for boat travel and trade. The two biggest examples are Kara-moran and The Great River Kiang. Both are notable to Polo becasue of their great size which allows for many boats to sail to different parts of Cathay. Specifically with the Kara-moran, Polo notes boats carrying their loads of goods to a port only a mile from the sea that can hold up to 15,000 boats. Additionally, the source for the water in the Kara-moran is supposed to be under the control of Prestor John, the mythical Christian king of the East.
Key:
Purple House: Home
Yellow Horse: Organizing travel caravans/supplies
Blue Castle: Architectural point of interest
Green Star and Moon: Religious point of interest
Link: https://earth.google.com/earth/d/1qwvsQi23FlRXqzBEZaYavepfgs8t_jvk?usp=sharing
I separated Kempe’s locations of travel based on the levels of religious experience/importance, and thus Kempe’s personal experiences in these locations.
Green – Little Religious/Personal Importance
Norwich, Great Yarmouth, and Bologna are in the Green Category. Each category is separated based on the level of importance to Margery Kempe. The analysis of her descriptions of each location revealed that the length, intensity of emotion, and religious acts contribute to how important/memorable these locations are to Kempe. Because Norwich, Great Yarmouth, and Bologna are very briefly mentioned, it can be assumed that Kempe did not have intense visions or experiences in these cities.
Yellow – Medium Religious/Personal Importance
Zierikzee, Konstanz, and Venice are divided into the Orange Category. This category is separated by a medium level of significance to Kempe, where she detailed more events and religious experiences than those locations in the Green Category, but still are not specifically altering to her being (relative to the locations in the Red Category). The reader has more of an idea of her experiences, companions, and treatment in these places, and there are more significant religious aspects, but they are not as significant as the locations in the Red Category.
Red – High Religious/Personal Importance
Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Jordan River, and the Mount of Temptation belong in the Red Category because they are the most significant in the Bible, and therefore to Kempe. She gives the most description of these places and the surrounding areas, the religious events that occurred there (and why they are so important to her), and the people she meets along the way in these places. The strangers she meets in these places also seem to become kinder to her, perhaps due to their proximity to the Holy Land.