Dbq Essay on Han and Roman Technological Advancements

The Han and Roman empires have their fair share of technological advancements, how each civilization reacts to them is different however. Since the beginning of time we as humans have always needed to advance but not every human being believed so. In the Han and Roman empires, as in many others, the attitudes towards these kinds of advancements were mostly positive but there were some negative outlooks. In the Han dynasty many of the advancements were dedicated towards water and flooding. In document 1, a Han government official clearly agrees that new flood prevention techniques must be created and people who are able to carry out the repairs should be appointed to oversee the production of these flood preventing walls. Huan Tan, a upper-class philosopher, has a positive outlook on agricultural advancements because of Emperor Fuxi. He believes that instead of using human body strength to plow fields, the use of animals such as oxen, and horses should be used in replace so more work could be accomplished. In the pages of a government-sponsored history of Han China, the attitudes towards technology are, again, towards agricultural improvements. A governor by the name of Tu Shih invented a “water-powered blowing-engine” for the casting of iron agricultural equipment so that people could receive a great benefit for a small amount of labor. Since the people writing the documents are upper-classmen and involved in the government, some of these opinions and outlooks may be biased because they may have been taught to say such positive things about the advancements so that all of the people may support the government and use these ideas that were newly invented. Now in the Roman Empire, the advancements made were not water or agricultural related, they were advancements in tools and crafts. Cicero, an upper-class political leader, believed that the invention of tools had a great impact on the dignity of men. In Rome, men were held to a certain degree of gentlemen