Two classical empires were taking shape – the Roman Empire on the far western side of Eurasia and china’s imperial state on the far eastern end. They flourished at roughly the same time (200BCE to 200CE); they occupied a similar area (about 1.5 million square miles); they encompassed populations of a similar size (50 to60 million).The Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire were both giant empires of their time, shaping the lives of close to half the world’s population. From 300BCE to 400AD the history of the Han Dynasty of East Asia and the Roman Empire of the Mediterranean basin both had comparable and diverse political methods of control by using the military force of the legions while the Han Dynasty used the merit system through examinations to hold government office.
The political changes of the classical period of Roman Empire had an imperial theme. By the time of the Roman Empire; the ruling bodies of governance were a single military warlord called an emperor. Roman administration was a somewhat ramshackle affair, relying more on regional aristocratic elites and the army to provide cohesion. During the Roman Empire period, Rome was ruled by a series of emperors. Most emperors gained power though the military and many fought for power. Wars were fought between generals who killed other citizens in attempt to control power .Imperial riches empowered a small group of military leaders – Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Julius Caesar – who recruited their troops directly from the ranks of the poor and whose fierce rivalries brought revolts to Rome during the first century B.C.E. In the Roman Empire, nationalism was shown when Romans persecuted Christians and other conquered people by making them slaves. From the late Roman Republic into the Roman Empire, an emperor named Trajian extended the Empire to its greatest extent. The Roman Empire became the center of an enormous imperial state that encompassed the Mediterranean basin and included parts of continental Europe, Britain, North Africa and the Middle East. By 395 CE, one of the emperor’s of the Roman Empire named Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into the Eastern Empire and the Western Empire.
A global structure in the Roman Empire was the Silk Road; the Roman Empire exported, olive oil, glazes, artwork, etc…, and imported silk, bamboo, paper, and etc… However, the Han Dynasty had some unique political features and some similar ones. Beginning of the Han Dynasty began when Liu bang was its first emperor 206-195BC. Like the Roman Empire, in Han government, the emperor was the supreme judge and lawgiver, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and sole designator of official nominees appointed to the top posts in central and local administrations. The Chinese developed a civil service system, completed with examinations and selection by merit. Unlike the Romans, who developed an elaborate body of law, applicable equally to all people of the realm, dealing with matters of justice, property, commerce, and family.
The Han Dynasty went through to periods (empires): the former Han (western) which was interrupted by Xing dynasty, and then the later Han (eastern).During the Han Dynasty, growing numbers of improvised and desperate peasants had to sell out to large landlords and work as tenants or sharecroppers on their estates, where rent could run as high as one-half to two-thirds of the crop. Such conditions led to a major peasant revolt; known as the Yellow turban Rebellion, in 184 C.E. Nationalism in the Han Dynasty was proved by their treatment of conquered subjects such as the Vietnamese, the Koreans and the nomadic people of Central Asia. The Han Dynasty extended its territorial reach to extend the Silk Road to gain access to raw materials and to extend trade into new region.
In conclusion, from 300BCE to 400AD the history of the Han Dynasty of East Asia and the Roman Empire of the Mediterranean basin both had comparable and diverse political methods of control by using the military force of the legions while the Han Dynasty used the merit system through examinations to hold government office. Politically, both empires established effective centralized control over vast regions with their military and had huge populations. Even though the Romans and the Chinese were only dimly aware of each other and, had almost no direct contact, there shown some fascinating variations on an imperial theme and have long explored their similarities and differences.
