Differences Between Greece And Han China

HOW GREAT WERE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HAN CHINA AND CLASSICAL ATHENS? Every civilization has qualities that make them different from other countries. Whether the religion is different or the laws contain different morals, every country has its differences and similarities. Han China and Greece are two highly successful early civilizations. Both countries have different, but good, opinions and ways of thinking.

Han China and Athens had a great deal of differences just on their physical features. The country of Greece was broken into city-states. The main most important city-state is Athens. Each city-state had mostly mountains and water separating them. The rocky farmland and hills made it good to grow olives and grapes. Other than that, Athens did not have many great aspects in natural resources or size. Although China was larger, it did not split apart into cities. Instead, China stayed a whole Country. To have protection from the north, China built The Great Wall of China. It stretched about 3,000 miles across the northern part of China. The Chinese invented the first paper, pulley, the first large silk industry, and the first studies of the planets and sun spots. Han China was approximately six thousand miles away from Greece. It also had quite a lead over Greece in population. Also the
size of Han China appeared much larger than Greece. The total population in Athens adds up to 315,000 people, apposed to Han China who had 65 million people. Han China had 64,685,000 more people than Athens.

The number of citizens in Greece ran low because the requirements were high. Only men could qualify for citizenship and only free males above the age of 18 became citizens. The social class rankings in Greece put males above females, citizens above non-citizens, and slaves at the bottom. In China the social classes were more complex than in Greece. It depended on people’s jobs and education. The emperor and appointed officials ranked at the top. Fallowing after them remained the educated mandarin bureaucrats, landed aristocracy, unskilled workers, street artists, and slaves, also known as “mean people”. Women in China had more rights than women in Greece. Women made up about 50% of each category except bureaucrats and appointed officials. Women had more value in China than in Greece.

Greece had a democratic government. A form of government that allowed the people to vote and be apart of the government. They had an extremely powerful government. Any male citizen of adult age could join the Athenian Assembly, regardless of their income or class. The Assembly could talk about anything and they met 40 times a year. The Assembly had an agenda that the council arranged. The council consisted of 50 men from each of the ten tribes, 500 men in all. They all remained above the age of 30, they got paid, and they served on the council for a year, then new members were chosen. They had a smaller council, within the Council, made up of 50 men and they met every day and administered the government. They called the inner council the Prytany. The Prytany changed 10 times a year, but the chief executive changed everyday. Anyone who had power did not remain in control for long.

China had one specific ruler, the emperor.
After the emperor, the governors ruled and after them the officials took charge. The only way a person could become emperor was if the Heavens gave him the empire. Their government was ruled by the Heavens. The person could not just make Heaven give him the empire, the emperor could recommend a man to Heaven, but must not rely on any guarantees. The Heavens must accept the man before he receives the role of emperor. Heaven determines the decision by knowing what the people think and whether or not the people will except the man as their emperor. People believed in the Heavens to make the right
decision.

China and Athens had different views on religions or beliefs. China believed that the Heavens were great. They controlled the laws, the punishment, they choose the emperor, and they created nature and the humans. They thought that everything that Heaven created was a beauty. They believed that the Heavens and gods created humans and the world. Since the heavens created the humans they believed that once they died they returned to the Heavens. When they return they will have complete peacefulness and serenity. Greece, on the other hand, believed man was almighty. Not only did they think that men were more powerful and useful then women, they thought men could do anything. Even though the world has many different and wonderful wonders, Athenians believed that man was the greatest of all of them. They did not think anything came close to being more wonderful than man. In Athens man even controlled the government, punishment, social classes, the laws, they taught others and they discovered ways of writing, and man invented useful supplies like paper.

Han China and Athens had great differences in size, population, government, social classes, and religious views. Both countries viewed men stronger then women, especially Athens. Both Athens and Han China had strong governments and laws that made their civilizations last long. They invented helpful tools that we still use today. Athens and Han China made a huge impact on other civilizations.