Advancements in the Roman Empire Compared to that of the Han Dynasty

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As one rises, another falls. Civilizations undulated in historic times more frequently than waves in an ocean; however, most of them are forgotten to this day because of their insignificant impact. The Roman and Chinese Empires were established like any other civilization, but rose to power through proper governing of the people. They later became so successful that they emulated one another in different fields of culture. The Han Dynasty was one of many dynasties in ancient China and it was able to change the outlook on society because of its radical and novel ideology based on Confucianism. During the dynasty, the emperor Wudi pushed borders and trade like no other dynasty of its kind and conquered land past China's century long borders; moreover, the people were, for the most part, economically stable and stayed at peace for over four hundred years (Immell, 22). Two centuries later, the Roman Empire was also established with the same beliefs and it was then able to transcend. For example, they created and performed the theatrical arts and invented the use of a senate in a democracy that didn't reappear until after the renaissance in Europe (Lassieur, 8). Comparing the Han Dynasty to the Roman Empire is more like choosing an apple from a basket; all apples are the same, but only some are ripe enough to shine. Although both civilizations were very similar, the Roman Empire was more developed than the Han Dynasty due to its symbolic art, regimented army, structured government, and united social system.
Art is the driving force in entertainment and first to become apparent as far back as the early hominid paintings in caves. For the Romans, art played a role in almost all aspects of their lives, ranging from museums to their own ...

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...mson Gale, 2004. Print.
This book is focused on the Han Dynasty during ancient China. There are many paintings and depictions of people drawn in the book or photos of actual paintings that describe life during the period. This book does not give much information about the overall structure of the dynasty, but rather a more specific approach to how people lived under the ruler and what their lives were like compared to the other classes. There is a whole chapter devoted to the Silk Road and the Great Wall of China, which will be useful for geography. Finally, the book has many explanations of the advancements and achievements of the Han Dynasty. I can use this book to explain these different aspects of the civilization (stated above) to support my thesis. This book includes the advancements that were difficult to find in other resources, but this one lists them all.

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