An Age of Empires: Rome and Han China, 753 B.C.E.

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An Age of Empires Rome and Han China, 753 B.C.E.
330 C.E.

• Chapter Five

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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 WarsSenate losses authority.
• Octavian (Augustus), eliminated all rivals and
  reorganized the Roman government after 31 B.C.E.

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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

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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.

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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

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Technology

• Aqueducts --- long elevated or underground
  conduits --- carried water from a source to an
  urban center.
• Concrete --- mixture of lime powder, sand and
  water.

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Transformation

• Third 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

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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.

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The Origins of Imperial China, 221 B.C.E 220
C.E.
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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

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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 gtfind best location and orientation
  for buildings and graves

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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

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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
  

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The Long Reign of the Han (206 B.C.E. 220 C.E)

• Liu Bang a peasant who took control of China.
• --- Drew on Confucianism and Legalist techniques
• Emperor Wu (140-87 B.C.E)
• Changan --- Western Han period Capital (202
  B.C.E. to 8 C.E.)
• Luoyang --- Eastern Han Capitol (23-22 C.E.)

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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.

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Changan

• Easily defended Walled city
• Elite lived in elegant multi-storied houses on
  broad, well-planned 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

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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

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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.

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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

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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.