Images

A detail of a marble statue of Cupid and Psyche from the Domus of Cupid and Psyche in Ostia Antica, Italy. The statue was made at the time the house was built, in the second quarter of the 4th century CE.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, part of the Temple of Heaven in the Forbidden City, Beijing. The temple and the Forbidden City were first built in the reign of Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (r. 1403-1424 CE)

A silk scroll portrait of the Yongle Emperor (aka Chengzu or Yung Lo, r. 1403-1424 CE) who was the third ruler of the Chinese Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE). (National Palace Museum, Taibei)

The Ming Dynasty Empire (1368-1644 CE) at the time of the Yongle Emperor (aka Chengzu r. 1403-1424 CE).

The Hongwu Emperor, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644 CE) who reigned from 1368 to 1398 CE. 14th century CE painted silk hanging.

A bronze coin of Zhu Yuanzhang, the future Hongwu Emperor (r. 1368-1398 CE) who was the founder of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE).

A modern statue of the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan (l. 1215-1294 CE). Sukhbaatar Square, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

A sculpture depicting the Venetian explorer Marco Polo who famously travelled to China between 1271 and 1295 CE. (Villa Borghese, Rome)

This map illustrates Marco Polo's travels (1271 - 1295), which spanned vast regions of Asia, including the Middle East, Central Asia, and China, where he served at the court of Kublai Khan. Polo journeyed along the Silk Road, encountering...

Abd al-Rahman III Receiving the Ambassador by Dionisio Baixeras Verdaguer (1862–1943 CE). Oil on canvas, 1885 CE. University of Barcelona