Han China/Imperial Rome CCOT

Han China was one of the longest dynasties in Chinese history, however, the Imperial Roman empire lasted even longer. Han China and Imperial Rome share many similarities as well as many differences. Although Han China and Imperial Rome had many similarities (patriarchy, expansion), the differences (recruitment, system of who is in authority) in methods of political control outweigh the similarities because of they had little interaction with each other. The first similarity between Han China and Imperial Rome is found when comparing their patriarchal societies. Both in Han China and Imperial Rome they were extremely patriarchal. In each society the man of the house could arrange marriages for their children, decided whether or not to keep the offspring born to their wives, and decided how to punish wives if they commit a wrongdoing. In Han China, for example they tried to strengthen patriarchal authority by emphasizing importance of filial piety and women’s subordination to men. Imperial Rome was also patriarchal, for example, because husbands would have multiple children with their wives in hope of birthing a strong, healthy son to carry on the family name and legacy. The main job given to women in Rome was to birth sons. The women had no say in the number of children they had or in keeping the children they gave birth to. If the women couldn’t fulfill this expectation of having sons, the husband would divorce the woman, have children with another woman, or simply kill his wife and find another one. The next similarity between Han China and Imperial Rome is the expansion of both their governments. Both societies sought to expand the borders of their empires through imperial expansion. They perceived threats to security led to wars and conquests, which increased the length of borders and led to more perceived threats. In vein of the Qin dynasty before the second empire, the primary goal of the Han dynasty was to unite all of China. To accomplish this, Han