Brown: Han Dynasty and Rome Essay

Submitted By timothyphelan
Words: 729
Pages: 3

Han vs. Rome

Tim Travis
AP World
Period 7
September 29, 2013

The Han and the Rome empires were very different in their political systems. Both differed in the way they handled their borders, the way they looked at society, and religion. These two dynasties were different when it came their borders, as well as government. Rome and Han had their similarities as well. Both were similar in agriculture, and in their government. With these two empires having their differences and similarities, still nothing can take away from both being great overall.

Politically, both Han and Rome were strong, and had many similarities. Both empires had unstable borders. Both had strong governments as well, providing funds for technology used for their armies. Han developed gunpowder, a new form of technology used for the battles they had to partake in. Rome had an excellent military organization. They specialized in having great armor that contributed greatly in the battles that they were involved in, giving them that extra protection. The differences politically between Han and Rome were found within society and culture. China was very centralized during this time. This means that the society was very drawn toward one ruler, one man in charge of everything. Confucianism dictated the way of life, religion was a huge part to them, and had much more emphasis on family. Han also had much more emphasis on expanding its empire. Rome focused more on protecting its borders. They didn’t look to expand as much as the Han did. Rome’s religion was much less centralized as well.

The Roman Empire involved a non-hereditary emperor, meaning that the emperor was not chosen based on family. The Senate technically was to choose the emperor. In reality, the emperor was chosen by predecessors. Extensive colonization and military conquest took place during this era, and a development of laws was created. This was called the 12 tables, and was the law code for the people. These laws set in place Rule of Law. No one is above the law, a leader can’t make things up things as they wish, for example laws and things along those lines. For the Han, emperors rule by the Mandate of Heaven. Dynasties rise and fall due to the will of heaven, which would be the ancestors. The emperor was considered the “son of heaven” during the time they ruled. The emperor ruled from his house in the Forbidden City, which is inside Beijing. Politics were based on Confucian values, which were based on the 5 relationships. The Han developed the Civil Service Exam based on cultural ideas. Scholars who passed this can work for the government and became known as the “shi”. Similarities between Rome and Han would be the way they dealt with gender roles, method of economical production, and architecture. The gender roles with both Rome and Han China were similar. Both