TRA: Lesson - Comparing China and Rome

A map showing the distance from Rome to China.Comparing China and Rome

Having read the material about both Rome and China in this module, did you notice any similarities between the two empires? Though separated by many miles, Rome and China have a lot in common. These similarities help us understand not just these empires but the way that all empires (there will be a lot in World History) rise and fall.

Rome and China had a similar population model: they both had around 60 million people by 1 CE, but a plague in 200 CE cut that population in half. As we learned, both Rome and China were influenced by a religion spread by trade routes (Rome eventually adopted Christianity and China adopted Buddhism). Both the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire fell because they were too big to effectively govern. While China recovered relatively quickly due to Confucianism’s stabilizing relationship-based rituals, Western Rome underwent a major cultural and political reorganization that historians call the Middle Ages. The table below provides additional comparisons.

Comparing China and Rome
Empire Rome China
Population (approximate)
  • 1 CE: 60 million
  • 200 CE: Devastating Plague
    • ROMAN EMPIRE SPLITS
  • 500 CE: 30 million
  • 1200 CE: 100 million
  • 1 CE: 60 million
  • 200 CE: Devastating Plague
    • HAN DYNASTY ENDS
  • 500 CE: 30 million
  • 1200 CE: 100 million
Religion
  • Originally Polytheistic
  • From 1 - 100 CE, Christianity spreads into Rome
  • Originally Polytheistic
  • From 1 - 100 CE, Buddhism spreads into China
Causes of Decline and Fall
  • Too big
  • Nomadic invaders
  • Peasant revolts
  • Instability for 100s of years
  • Too big
  • Nomadic invaders
  • Peasant revolts
  • Instability for ~60 years

A Common Threat: the Huns

Just like trade didn’t happen in an isolated bubble, invasions didn’t either. For example, Alexander the Great’s conquering and retreating led to the creation of the Mauryan Empire in India. The Xiongnu (Hun) attack on China had a massive effect as well. Emperor Wu pushed back the Huns, but that didn’t stop them from existing. The Huns eventually split their forces: some moved north across Asia and moved into Europe. There they encountered the Goths, who were so scared of the Huns that they moved south. This led, in large part, to the Gothic invasion of the Roman Empire. (Side note: The Huns in Europe eventually settled down and today that land is called Hungary.) Some Huns also moved south and invaded India. This caused the collapse of the Gupta Empire. These invasions and, as a result, the end of Rome and India’s Golden Ages will help define the end of the era of Trading Empires (our focus for this module) and the start of a great reorganization (our focus for the next section of the course).

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