Marco Polo arrives in the land of Armenia, a country which he describes as being two separate countries, the Lesser Armenia and the Greater Armenia, and Turkey. The majority of Polo’s descriptions of these countries that he visits are centered around their economic success and potential due to the variety and abundance of natural resources at their disposal. 

Polo spends extensive time detailing the expansive and varied quantity of commodities available to the Armenians to sell to traveling merchants. He mainly describes the people of Lesser Armenia in the context of their sellable resources and rarely mentions further details about the type of people they are, what they look like, or how they live. Though he does not speak much of it, Polo does mention the Lesser Armenians “live off their flock” and notes the sweltering climate of the country (47). He comments on the excruciating heat of the climate as being “far from healthy”, which he then attributes to the inappropriate, “craven and “mean-spirited” behavior, and the excessive drinking of these people (46). Marco also mentions how the Turks breed good quality horses and mules and the Armenians have a large silver mine available to them (47). Additionally, the Turks are able to weave the “choicest and most beautiful carpets in the world” so they make a living by selling their crafts (47). 

Most of the observations Polo includes in his account of his visit to the Armenians are related to the potential merchant interest in what products the country offers.  He makes particular note of the abundance of goods the countries have due to their flourishing environmental surroundings. Polo describes a very tall mountain in the “heart” of Greater Armenia, which fertilizes their fields (48). At the mountain, which the Armenians call the Mountain of Noah’s Ark due to its cube shape, Noah’s ark is said to have once rested at its top, the “snow lies so deep all the year round that no one can ever climb it” and never fully melts (48). However, the lower slopes on the mountains gather the moisture from the higher slopes creating such luscious vegetation that animals flock to their land so the people are never low on supply of food and create the “best summer pasturage for beasts” (48). 

Given Marco Polo’s family background of wealthy, well-respected merchants, it would be expected that most of his observations were directed towards the commerce and craftsmanship of the countries he visits. His comments in this passage focus on how the varying resources at the disposal of the Armenians and the Turks would be of interest to a merchant, like himself and his family. He frequently details the quality or abundance of different goods provided by the countries’ citizens, as a merchant would judge potential purchases. As well, his notes about the way the Lesser Armenians react to their hot climate showcases his privilege as a young merchant growing up under the wing of a widely successful merchant, his father. His father had achieved such a high status that royalty respected them enough to treat them better than some of their own citizens when they would make their travels. Marco’s description of the Lesser Armenians reaction to the heat, depicting them as uncivilized alcoholics, reveals his negative interpretation of impoverished individuals due to his inherited wealth and status.