han and roman technology dbq essay

Adding changes to my Document Based Question essay on the Han and Roman empires in order to improve the.
Prompt A Two of the most powerful empires of the ancient world were the Han, in China, and the Romans, in Italy. The Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire had differences and similarities, and these differences and similarities can be observed through their respective attitudes toward technology. The Han’s attitude toward technology can be discovered through the type of technology they used. Agriculturists and craftsman were one of the largest classes in the Han Empire. Because of this, innovation was simple and intended to benefit the lives of the working class. Huan Tan, a Han philosopher, wrote about the invention of the pestle and mortar and its evolution with the addition of animals and water power, and Huan Guan, a Han government official, speaks of the processes of iron foundry work and salt making. (Huan Guan, Doc 2.) (Huan Tan, Doc 3), Later, in 200 AD, Tu Shih, a Han governor invented a water-powered engine that forged iron agricultural implements for the Han people. Pestle and mortar, iron tools, and salt to season crops were technologies the Han valued, because they were used for the most popular occupations in the empire: agriculture and craftsmanship. (History of the Early Han Dynasty, Doc 4) The Han did not only invest in the technology small tools provided. We can infer from a report by a Han government official regarding flood prevention that the Han Dynasty also enjoyed waterways that went through several, if not all, districts of the Han Empire. (Han government official, Doc1) The Han Dynasty’s attitude toward technology was characterized by the necessity of its people, who were agriculturists and craftsman. Rome’s attitude toward technology can be found not only in the type of technology they created, but also through the types of technology they intentionally avoided. Since their inception, Roman’s have had a fierce sense of nationalism and.
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Only available on StudyMode Read full document → Save to my library Using the documents, analyze Han and Roman attitudes toward technology. Identify one additional type of document and explain briefly how it would help your analysis. The Han and Roman Empires were extremely important empires during the time of their existence. The Han Empire began around 206 BCE and ended at around 220 CE. The Roman Empire began at around 27 BCE and broke apart into two halves, the West falling in 476 and the East collapsing in 1453. The Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire have different outlooks on technology, the Han Dynasty view technology as a practical application used to ease the workload of people, while the Roman Empire views certain technology as needed, despite the creator. The Han Dynasty viewed technology as a way to ease the workload. A Han government official proposes a possible technological solution to prevent floods. His ideas include people to watch over the machinery used to ease the workload of people preventing floods. Huan Guan, in his Discourses on Salt and Iron , says that in previous times, people had the liberty to do foundry work and salt-boiling, but had to pay a tax. He says that the tools to do this work used to be well-made, but in current times the tools are made by convicts, and are crude and not very functional. Due to the high price of these crude tools, which do not do much to ease the workload, many people have become poor, and are forced to rely on wooden tools, and cannot afford salt. Huan Tan, in his New Discourses , says that Fuxi, a mythological emperor, created mortar and pestle. he also says that, over time, other things were used and upgrades were made in order to increase the benefit and decrease the workload hundredfold. The government-sponsored History of the Early Han Dynasty claims that Tu Shih loved the common people and wished to save.
Han and Roman Technology DBQ Essay From the pestle and mortar of Han, China to the flowing aqueducts of the Roman Empire, technology was a big part of ancient civilizations. From the 2nd century BCE through the 1st century CE, both the Han and Roman empires were dealing with the advancements in technology. There were many different attitudes between the two empires, but there were also differences in opinion within the empires themselves. In the Han Empire, some believed that technology was an essential part of an empire and requires government intervention, while others saw it an expensive burden. In the Roman Empire, some believed that technology was necessary, but not necessarily enlightened, while others saw it as a way to show how great their civilization really was. Han government officials felt that technology was indeed an important part of a civilization and required government intervention. The Han government official in Document 1 said, “I request that establish water conservation offices in each district and staff then with people who are experienced in the ways of water. There should be one high official and one deputy with just enough workers to meet the need”. This shows that he felt it was important for the government to have some control, and to have people who knew what they were doing in charge. Shown in Document 4, later on in 31 C.E Tu Shih, a governor of Nanyang, invented a water-powered blowing engine for the casting of iron agriculture implements, this machine was widely adopted and used, showing the positive effects of government manufacturing. With the evolution of technology in the Han Dynasty also came the monopolization of iron and salt, which in turn, worsened the lives of peasants and produced less efficient tools. This is shown in Document 2 by Huan Guan about iron tools made by the government “These tools are often crude and not very.