An Age of Empires: Rome
and Han China, 753
B.C.E. – 330 C.E.
Chapter Five
A Republic of Farmers
Rome --- founded by Romulus in 753 B.C.E.
► Growth of Roman State based on Timber and Metals, A Large
human population, navigable rivers and fertile soil.
► Economic wealth of based on Farming/Agriculture.
► Heads of wealthy families were members of the SENATE dominated politics in the Roman State.
► Roman Republic lasted from 507 to 31 B.C.E., was hardly a
democracy. Why?
► Family was important, oldest living male (paterfamilias) was the
head of the family.
► Pax Deorum --- “peace of the Gods”, a covenant between the
gods and the Roman state.
Expansion in Italy and the
Mediterranean
► Greed
and fondness of war
► Help promote glory for the military leader/consul
► Only defending themselves
► Fear, to achieve a buffer area
► Romans viewed the natural world:
--- Filled with many shapeless forces named numina
--- Containing gods who would favor Rome if it carried
out proper sacrifices and rituals.
Wars 264 – 202 B.C.E.
► Rome
fought 2 protracted and bloody wars
against the Carthaginians.
--- Rome was unchallenged master of the
western Mediterranean and acquired its first
overseas provinces in Sicily, Sardinia, and
Spain.
► allowed considerable autonomy to
cooperative local elites
What Helped?
► Consolidating
their hold over Italy
was their willingness to grant people
political, legal, and economic
privileges of Roman citizenship to
conquered populations
--- Eventually they mastered the
Provincial Governor style
government.
Failure
►
Italian peasant farmers were away
from home a lot on military service
► Italian landowners began to count on
inexpensive slaves, not peasant
farmers.
► The society began to idolize and
follow generals, not the state.
(Pompey, Caesar, Mark Antony
etc…) Civil Wars…Senate losses
authority.
► Octavian (Augustus), eliminated all
rivals and reorganized the Roman
government after 31 B.C.E.
The Urban Empire
►
80% lived within the borders of the empire
► Rome had a pop of 1 million, Alexandria
200,000+
--- Rich lived in nice villas, poor in crowded slums
--- You could be a Roman citizen if you served in the
military
► Pax Romana: Roman Peace. The safety and
stability guaranteed by Roman might.
Romanization
Roman Citizenship
► At
first, new towns were reluctant to grant
Roman Citizenship, with all the privileges,
legal protections, and tax exemption to
people outside of Italy. BUT….
► Complete 26 year military service, become a
Roman citizen.
► People made Roman Citizens by the Emperor
if they performed a good deed.
► 212 B.C.E. all free, adult, males granted
citizenship.
Rise of Christianity
► Jesus
and Pontius
Pilate……..Jesus was the
Messiah
► Catholicism grew slowly
and steadily --- women,
slaves and the poor
followed it….
► Minority in the Roman
Republic
Technology
► Aqueducts
--- long elevated or
underground conduits --- carried water
from a source to an urban center.
► Concrete --- mixture of lime powder, sand
and water.
Transformation
– Century Crisis: period where political, military,
and economic problems beset and nearly destroyed the
Roman Empire.
► 20 men claimed to be the rulers during this period
► Civil Wars in the Northern parts of the empire
► Impact on the economy was negative
► Diocletian: Saved the Roman Empire, at its bleakest
moment.
► Constantine: The first Roman Emperor to convert to
Christianity
► Third
Third-Century Crisis
► Political,
Military and Economic problems
weaken the Empire.
► Most visible symptom was the frequent
change of rulers.
--- 20+ men claimed the office of emperor
from 235 to 284 C.E.
The Origins of Imperial
China, 221 B.C.E – 220 C.E.
Resources and Population
► Most
Important: Agricultural production and
Labor
► Qin and Han exploit the peasants
--- Send men to the Army, collect taxes, and provide
labor
--- Han and agriculture
Hierarchy, Obedience and Belief
► Family
was the basic unit of society
► Teachings of Confucius were a fundamental source of
values for family, social , and political organizations.
--- Duty and Proper Conduct
► Women were to cook, do chores, respect their in-laws and
obey their husband.
--- After marriage, must prove her worthiness, live with
husbands family.
► Believed in natural spirits
--- Fengshui >find best location and orientation for
buildings and graves
The First Chinese Empire – Warring
States Period
►
Qin Empire unites China (221 B.C.E.)
1. Ability and ruthlessness of ruler: Shi
Huangdi
2. Ability to mobilize manpower for irrigation,
flood-control projects, to strengthen the
central government
Shi Huangdi “First Emperor”
--- Suppressed Confucianism
--- Eliminated Rivals
--- Abolished primogeniture and
slavery
--- Constructed a rural economy
--- Standardized weights and
measures
--- Built roads and the
(eventually) “Great Wall”
The Long Reign of the Han
(206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E)
Bang – a peasant who took
control of China.
--- Drew on Confucianism and
Legalist techniques
► Emperor Wu – (140-87 B.C.E)
► Chang’an --- Western Han
period Capital (202 B.C.E. to 8
C.E.)
► Luoyang --- Eastern Han
Capitol (23-22 C.E.)
► Liu
Administration of the Han
Based on Confucius philosophy:
► Allied with the gentry class of educated
landowners.
► Started and imperial university.
► Exempted government officials from military
duty.
--- Though any citizen could rise to power, the
children of the gentry had best opportunity.
Chang’an
► Easily
defended Walled city
► Elite lived in elegant multi-storied houses on broad, wellplanned boulevards
► Common people lived in closely packed houses, in
unplanned, winding alleys.
► Emperor was supreme
--- Son of Heaven, Source of Law, but could lose his
Mandate of Heaven
► Gentry: Local officials, landowners, adopted
Confucianism
Technology and Trade
► Metallurgy
--- Bronze to Iron
in 500 B.C.E. Better end
product than the Romans
► Crossbow, Cavalry, Watermill,
and Horse Collar
► Road Systems, Courier
Systems and Canals.
► Long-distance commerce
--- Silk most important
--- Silk Road important
Decline of the Han
►Nomadic Tribes
of the North Attack
(biggest reason)
►$$$$$$ to defend the borders
►Merchants and Landowners became
powerful, not good for emperor
►Had to rely on mercenaries, not too reliable
►Dynasty falls around 220 C.E.
Imperial Parallels – China vs. Rome
Similarities
► Family structure, values, taxation, administration and
empire building
► Same problems with defending their large Empire
► Undermined by their military expenditures
► Overrun by people, that took their culture
Differences
► Han reunified, Roman Empire never came back
► Social Mobility in Rome, Political Ideologies, Religions
Conclusion
►
Quin and Han were able to Unify China; Rome constructed its
empire slowly and without precedents to draw upon.
►
Han and Roman Empires maintained and administered large
territories and populations by virtue of their ability to organize
large professional armies and professional bureaucracies
►
Both empires provided long periods of peace and prosperity, but
they were undermined by the high cost of defense and by the
heavy tax burden, which this put on their people.
►
Han dynasty constructed a political system that would be revived
and modified by subsequent dynasties; the Roman empire was
never restored.