Некоторые заметки об arc(h)olino/coccolino в записях Марко Поло. [Some notes about arc(h)olino/coccolino in the Book of the Marvels of the World by Marco Polo]

This paper discusses the enigmatic zoological term arcolino, documented in the travelogue of Marco Polo in the description of the Land of Darkness. Marco Polo’s world-wide famous travelogue «Book of the Marvels of the World» is a goldmine of information regarding «the mysteries and marvels of the East», especially concerning the Ta(r)tars, that is, the Mongols. From the Marco Polo’s description, the term arcolino seems to refer to an animal with valuable fur similar to a squirrel and/or a sable. We assume that this incognitos animal belongs to the mustelidae zoological family and most likely represents a loan translation from Mongolic solongo ‘rainbow, Siberian marten’.