Han China and Rome Technological Views

Han China and Rome had many views on technology, which can be shown in many different ways. They had some opinions about it that were similar and some that were not so alike. Although some of their views may be the same, the cause of this perspective and opinion may have been fabricated a completely different way.

Han's views changed throughout time as officials and rulers changed, and along with the changing of the empire, so did the people that were guided/ruled. In the earlier times of Han, technology was praised and flourished. It was a subject that was always paid attention to and taken care of as it grew and improved. For example back in earlier Han, technology was used efficiently to take care of those issues which arose, in order to aid the people to live good and jubilant lives, like the officials which were concerned and acted upon the dilemma, long ago, in which China had been hit by floods. The officials did their best to set up workers and leaders in a system which helped to guide the people to less suffering (Doc.1). After time passed the people of Han China changed, not entirely for the better I would say. Technology became a topic which became less significant than it was in the early times. This made life hard for the people of China, as technology's purpose is to aid society. Tools were debased. When this event started to occur, workers that were hired by the state were handed tools that were in poor quality, having a dearth functionality and efficiency. In doing this, work became harsher, and the people became unpleased and full of sorrow (Doc.2). Now, there was one difference between Roman and Han's ideas on how some technologies are come about. Rome believes that the begetting of new tools and such are not invented by wise men, or those that are considered great and experienced in the difficulties of life. Although it may seem that objects that are first created come from the wise, the Roman's believe that new tools and ideas are actual come across just anyone as long as they possess a strong, nimble, and sharp mind. Now unlike Rome, China believes that the wise are the biggest contribution to that which is inventing and innovating. For example, they give the credit for the inventing of the pestle and mortar to the mythological wise emperor, Fuxi (Doc.3 and Doc.7).

Rome has a different viewpoint of what technology is and how important it truly is. Just like the Han, Rome's technological occurrences happened in the earlier times, around second-century B.C.E. Technology to them is based more around beauty and measurements. For example, Gaius Gracchus was a political leader in Rome which aggrandized the importance of roads and the beauty they provide to the overall ambiance of Rome. He wanted to make life easier for horse riders by implementing stone columns to help measure distances from place to place, mile by mile (Doc. 6). This is shown again when Frontinus, a Roman General, talks about the aqueducts which help the city run smoothly, focusing on the point that the accuracy of his inventions are so great that they make those done by the Greeks seem useless (Doc.8).

Rome and Han China both admired the art of advancements and improving in the early times. They used it to their advantage in order to help make the land more prosperous for the people which lived upon it. China helped the land with technologies by helping to prevent any disasters that were occurring, while Rome helped by grasping technology and squeezing all the great things it had in order to help run the large and famous city of Ancient Rome (Doc.1 and Doc.8). Now, not only did both Rome and Han China admire technology at one point in time but they also started to regard it useless near the second century B.C.E. Han China proved this by providing the workers of the state with crude and simplistic tools, making labor much more arduous than it already was to begin with. Now Rome regarded technology as unimportant by saying that those who work and are paid for their articles, are degraded, vulgar, and all that which comprise artisan's work is worthless (Doc.2 and Doc.5).

These are the opinions and views of what Rome and Han China have on technology.