The Roman Empire and Han DynastyThe Roman Empire and Han Dynasty share many similarities and distinctions. The Roman empire was considered the largest empire to ever exist. It extended through most of Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East. The Roman Empire lasted 511 years from 27 B.C.E to 476 C.E. On the other hand, the Han Dynasty lasted 400 years from 206 B.
C.E to 220 C.E and is considered one of China’s longest dynasties, spreading between the southeastern and northeastern parts of modern China. Both empires share many resemblances and differences in culture, technology, and expansion.The Roman people value culture, and religion was a major part of the Roman peoples’ life. All Romans were expected to worship the emperor as if he was a God. ManyChristians refused to worship the emperor as a God and were arrested, some were put to death. As time went on, new emperors took control.
In the fourth century A.D, emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion. This lead to the Christians Being comfortable in practicing their religion, not worrying about punishment. The Han Dynasty, on the other hand, had many religions brought upon them, the main religion was Taoism.
Taoism consisted of ceremonies for worship and religious purposes. Buddhism arriving at around 1st-century C.E was a major religion in China, considered to be brought by travelers who came from the silk road from India. Aside from religion, art was also transformed by Buddhism. Both civilizations were open to learning from other cultures and benefited from their inventions and technology. The Han Dynasty contributed many inventions to society, some of which we still use today. They were the first to develop the papermaking process, cast iron technology, the seismograph, glazed pottery, the wheelbarrow and the hot air balloon amongst other things.
The Han Dynasty is credited with the invention of cast iron tools which included better weapons and agriculture tools, which improved the dynasty’s economy. The Roman empire is one of the best-known civilizations due to their inventions and technology. Most of all the Roman empire is known for their advancements in infrastructure. From the invention of concrete and roads to arches and aqueducts the Roman Empire was unrivaled in its time. The Empire is recognized as the civilization that invented the newspaper and the earliest example of the modern day book. Equally, both empires contributed many inventions that shape the way we live today. The advancements in technology carried the civilizations to expand defeating the other oppositions.
