Hundred Eyes or Hundred Wild Geese: An Examination of How Historical Sources were Made in Marco Polo's Time.

This article examines the creation and preservation of historical sources about the Mongols, with a focus on Marco Polo's account of East and Central Asia. It discusses how Polo's book differed from other accounts and its influence on European understanding of the Mongols. The article also explores the transmission and preservation of historical information in Mongol Eurasia, using the example of two prophecies related to the Mongol conquest of the Song dynasty. It analyzes the inaccuracies in Polo's account and suggests that historical information compatible with the author's knowledge and the audience's imagination was more likely to be preserved. The text also discusses the use of the white wild goose as a metaphor for the Mongols in Chinese literature during the Yuan dynasty. It explores the symbolism of the wild goose and its association with the Mongol conquest of the Song dynasty. The author argues that historical records should be understood as a reflection of the interaction between information, the author's understanding, and the changing expectations and interests of the audience. [Extracted from the article]