Han China Dbq

Words: 860
Pages: 4

The Roman Empire and the Han dynasty had similar and different attitudes toward technology. The Han Chinese and the Roman people had a similar social structure that shaped their views regarding technology; however, the Roman’s architecture and water technology differ from that of Han Chinas’ because of the different beliefs each empire had. In the following paragraphs, social structure, architecture and water technology will be further compared between the Han dynasty and the Roman Empire.

To begin, both the Han Chinese and Roman’s social structure are similar in that they both follow the strict pyramid shaped social structure. According to the documents we read in class, the authors of each document are higher-class leaders; we do not get
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Roads played a huge role in both Rome and Han China. Greek architecture and early emperors of Rome influenced the Roman architecture. They used architectural forms of the arch and vault. In the movie, The Fall of Rome, we saw these forms used in aqueducts, baths, bridges, and temples. According to document two, “…the roads were carried straight through without wavering…” Through this we can see the wise planning and techniques of the Roman engineers. Many aspects of Roman building have influenced architecture today such as concrete and the arches and columns that many official buildings in the United States display today. On the other hand, Han China’s architecture has affected the world. With the invention of the Silk Road, many countries had the ability to trade goods between other countries and receive goods that they did not have in their own country. According to document six, “Tools manufactured by individual families were well-made.” The people designed tools for their own use and some even sold their tools for other people to use. These tools were made of excellent quality; however, “Today the iron tools that workers are required to use are produced by the state using convict labor; these tools are often crude and not very functional” (Document 6). The government control today clearly shows the change of independence. In the past, people who wanted to create tools to make their job easier were allowed too. …show more content…
All Roman architecture was influenced by intelligence and Greek architecture as previously stated. An example of this would be from document four. A Roman general, Frontinus, stated, “All the aqueducts reach the city at different elevations.” The aqueducts are sufficient for both public and private uses and applications. We were informed that the water is distributed to various regions inside and outside the city, to basins, fountains and public buildings, and to multiple public uses. The fact that so much water can be distributed to many different sources is clearly a large technological advancement. Han China also experiences a water technological advancement but in another way. As stated in document eight, “…Tu Shih loved the common people and wished to save their labor. He invented a water-powered blowing-engine for the casting of iron agricultural implements that allowed people to enjoy great benefit for little labor.” This invention of a water-powered engine was widely adopted and