Comparative Rome and Han

The Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty of China were great empires that still have influence on us today. As they developed, they formed some similarities in government, but there are more obvious differences between them in religion and commerce. The Roman empire and Han Dynasty both had a great leader who led them to their Golden Ages. In China, the emperor Wu Ti significantly expanded Chinese territory from Central Asia to Manchuria and Korea to Northern Vietnam, establishing the Pax Sinica, their Golden Age. Similarly in Rome, Augustus Ceasar conquered Northern Hispania to the Alpine regions and all the way to the Danube River and started the Pax Romana, Rome’s Golden Age. They both also started to decline after the death of Augustus and Wuti. Their conquests lead to similar economic crisis’s and no good leaders came after them. Along with the Germanic tribes that invaded Rome and the Mongolians and Huns who invaded China, both empires eventually ended in a split. Rome was divided into East and West and the Han Dynasty was split into the Earlier Han and Later Han. Despite the similarities, they also had many differences in religion. Rome was mainly polytheistic, and strongly believed in and worshipped many gods. In Chinese religions such as Confucianism, there wasn’t much focus on gods but ancestor worship was very important. Another difference was religious tolerance. When Christianity was introduced to Rome, the Romans hated and persecuted the Christians. In China, Buddhism was introduced through the Silk Road. There was a bit discontent from the government and Confucianists but unlike the Christianity, it quickly became popular. Another difference was the effect of religion. In Rome, the emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan and granted tolerance toward Christians. It was finally accepted, but it was a factor to its downfall. In China, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism made it prosper and all three became important parts of