Disputatio:Marcus Paulus Venetus
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Wikipedia is not a reliable source
recensereMarco Polo's date of birth is given in the German Wikipedia as "c. 1254", footnoted to John Lloyd & John Mitchinson, The Book of General Ignorance. London: Faber and Faber, 2006. In many other wikipedias it is given as "15 September 1254" and usually not footnoted at all. In the Catalan Wikipedia -- an apparently well-documented article -- it is given as "15 September 1254" and footnoted to John Lloyd & John Mitchinson, The Book of General Ignorance. London: Faber and Faber, 2006. Something wrong somewhere.
The current Britannica article agrees with the text of the German wiki: "c. 1254". Andrew Dalby (disputatio) 19:16, 15 Augusti 2012 (UTC)
- I found an old article that quotes the evidence, so I have used it. It's conceivable that some recently discovered source really gives a precise date, but also conceivable that someone has made it up. Andrew Dalby (disputatio) 20:02, 15 Augusti 2012 (UTC)
- And as to his birthplace, Croatian opinion favors Croatia. ;) IacobusAmor (disputatio) 19:36, 15 Augusti 2012 (UTC)
- Are we surprised? Andrew Dalby (disputatio) 20:02, 15 Augusti 2012 (UTC)
My handiest source turns out to be the "Encyclopaedia Britannica" article. It's the only short biography I've found that describes his travels in their context as a part of his life. The en:wiki article is hopeless from that point of view. Andrew Dalby (disputatio) 20:28, 16 Augusti 2012 (UTC)