Preview

Rome And Han China Comparative Analysis

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
843 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Rome And Han China Comparative Analysis
Giselle Fiestan
Mr. Pelham
AP World History Period 2
Comparison Essay Rough Draft 1 Around 200 B.C.E. to 200 C.E. the empires of Rome and Han China flourished in the 1.5 million square miles. Each of their societies developed in vastly different lands. Separated from each other, Rome and China’s empires grew individually. Although separated by thousands of miles and differences of language, each society developed their own individual yet similar aspects. The societies of Ancient Rome and Han China were similar because of their patriarchal values which shaped their families and the status of their wealthy classes. Rome and China were different in their societies because of their individual uses of slavery and language. Since the agricultural
…show more content…
The upper classes were a distinct level of the social hierarchy. Rome and China both had a clearly defined high level social class. In Rome were the patricians. The patricians overthrew the monarchy and established the republic. The wealthy class dominated the government. Similar to the patricians were the landlord class. The landlord class of China held a vast amount of land bought from poor serfs and peasants. This landlord class had the ability to avoid taxes and mount own military if they wished to attack the emperor of China. In these ancient societies, wealth meant power because the upper classes could control the poor by monopolizing the ownership of land and sale of …show more content…
The use of slavery varied between Rome and Han China. Rome’s population of slaves was large, whereas China had less slaves. In China, the population of the lower class/ peasants was higher. The large population of peasants lowered the need of slavery. The peasants could take the work of the slaves. Thus, slavery did not become a major source of labor for agriculture or manufacturing. However, in Rome slavery became an important element of the social structure. The population of slaves comprised of at least one third of the population. Slaves usually came from conquered lands, race did not determine slavery. The poor man’s slave was the ox, and even plebeians had some slaves. Slaves were the backbone of the economy in Rome. Roman slaves were regarded as barbarians. Soon, Romans began to see other people as slaves by nature. All occupations except for military service were available to slaves. Since slaves were more common in Rome, they became their own distinct class. In China, slavery was far less

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Han China (206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E.) and Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E. – 476 C.E.) have some similarities and differences such as in foundation, governmental control, and collapse. These factors either helped their empire or weakened them influencing their fall.…

    • 644 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    e west and the east, empires dominated the world from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD. The main one in each area being the Roman Empire in the west, and the Chinese empire, or specifically the Han dynasty, in the east. While these two empires are thousands of miles apart and nearly one hundred years, there are many similarities between the two. The most significant difference between the two empires is the basis of government ideals.…

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Both the Han dynasty and the Roman Empire were bureaucratic. The central rulers all eventually became hereditary and both empires had rulers that oppressed the peasants in order to boost political control. However, the two empires differ in that the emperors had varying justifications for ruling and rose to power in different ways.…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imperial administration in Imperial Rome from 31 B.C.E. to 476 C.E and Han China from 206 B.C.E to 220 C.E. had both their similarities and differences. Similarities include general idea of equality, living under one ruler who gives the people some control, and the roles of families. One major difference is the method of political control with religion, and the way their leaders were selected.…

    • 386 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    China And Rome Dbq Essay

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Han Dynasty and Roman Empire both expanded their boundaries to the point where many thought they would be impossible to defeat. Regardless of that power, both empires had very devastating falls. Though they were both very different societies, China having a centralized bureaucracy, and Rome having a rule based on laws and private authorities, like many empires, many aspects of their defeat are similar. Some of the ideas contributing to this fall was the stress on military, the high taxes placed on citizens, and the religions of each empire.…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Athens Vs Han China Essay

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Han China had more slaves and unskilled workers than Athens, but they only made up about 7% of the population, whereas slaves in Athens made up more than one-third of the population. Athens and Han China had similar opinions when it came to the distinction between master and slave. Their empires both accepted and lived by the law that those who rule are supported by those who are ruled. Most of the men that worked in Athens were farmers. Most of the men that worked in Han China were peasant farmers or urban skilled workers. They had distinctive classes, the lower class, the middle class, and the high class. The ruler (or rulers if there are more than one) and the religious leaders, aristocrats, and major government officials made up the high class, the citizens (urban skilled workers such as farmers, merchants, etc.) made up the middle class , and the slaves or unskilled workers made up lower…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The ancient civilizations of Rome and Han China shared both similarities and differences in their social, political and economical views.…

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The roman and Han Empire were different in their political and governmental control through the use of the monarchy and the republic system. The monarchy of the Han Empire was a method of political control because it really strengthened the power of the government to really crackdown on the citizens to make sure that there were no protests or any riots. This control also showed the kinds of beliefs that they had in Han China. Also another type of political control that they used was the filial piety. Filial piety is the respect for your father and elders. This kept the people in check because they had to respect all their elders and the people that were above them. In the Roman Empire the republic method was more based on keeping the society happy then using political authority power. They would hold bread circuses and different events such as the gladiatorial games to keep them happy and prevent riots. The effectiveness of the system in Rome is demonstrated by the explosion of art, giving credit to people that…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Han dynasty stressed effectiveness in their tools, as well as using technology to prevent natural disasters and thrive in their society. The Romans, however, marveled at their civilization’s innovations, but rejected idolizing those who worked with tools and crafts.…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Technology is the building block of any society: it allows for new advancements to be made that improve daily life. Two such societies that made advancements in technology included the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire. As the expansion of the empire increased, the Romans built roads that linked these regions together. These roads were built in such a way that allowed for easier travel: roads were paved and allowed for water to run off. In addition, the empire also developed the transportation of water throughout the city through the construction of aqueducts, which were canals. Likewise, the Han Dynasty made advancements in the distribution of water: there were water ways, canals, and pools that were inspected by hydraulic engineers. Water was also used to power a blowing-engine. Because of the advancements that were made, the Han Dynasty is regarded by historians as the “Golden Age.” Similarly, the Romans created a large empire that stretched from Europe to the Middle East. Because of the vastness of both empires, water and technology were heavily relied upon, yet unlike the Han officials, the upper-class Romans had a negative attitude towards technology.…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the classical period, many civilizations and large land bases were formed. Of these many civilizations, two main ones were Han China and Imperial Rome. Although Han China and Imperial Rome both had similar government structures and trading systems, they both had two very different militaries.…

    • 394 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There was a myriad of factors that led to the collapse of classical China and Rome including: different types of political decay, large impersonal forces, and cultural factors.…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Methods of political control used in Han China (206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E.) were similar to that of Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E. – 476 C.E.) in that both empires sought imperial expansion and the centralization of government. However, these societies greatly differed on their opposition to governing and the techniques used in maintaining control over their citizens.…

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    hierarchy. But in contrast, the Romans were more benign on the one affecting the family’s hierarchy,…

    • 279 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Consolidating the Roman and Chinese Empires 1. both empires defined themselves in universal terms 2. both invested heavily in public works 3. both claimed supernatural sanctions a. deceased Roman emperors as gods (imperial cult) i. persecution of Christians for nonparticipation in cult b. Chinese emperor as Son of Heaven i. rule by Mandate of Heaven ii. dependent on just rule iii. heavy ritual duties to maintain relationship between earth and heaven iv. moral government spelled out by writings of Confucius and his followers The Han Dynasty was heir to the Qin state that had unified China in 221 BCE. The first ruler of the Qin established the title of “emperor.” The power of a Chinese emperor was absolute; however, he was subject to various checks on his authority by both high officials and imperial family members. The Romans practiced emperor worship solely in the case of dead emperors. In addition, only certain emperors were accorded divine honors, and always after death. In other parts of the Empire, however, local customs merged with Roman ones. In Egypt, for instance, emperor worship was practiced more widely. This was because the Roman office of emperor combined with the Egyptian notion as Pharaohas-sun-god. Chinese emperors were not considered divine beings. The emperor was called the “Son of Heaven” and was responsible for conducting sacrifices to both Heaven and Earth. The word “Heaven” referred more or less to what we would call “nature”: the succession of day and night, and the motions of the stars and planets. During the first millennium BCE, the concept of the “Mandate of Heaven” was applied. If an emperor oppressed the people, Heaven could withdraw a dynasty’s right to govern.…

    • 3046 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Good Essays