...of Food Between Han Dynasty China and Ancient Rome By Joaquin Velazquez 2/7/2024 Ancient Rome and Han Dynasty China were very similar empires, despite being seven and a half thousand kilometers away from each other. The two empires' food and meat were far different. According to Jacqueline M Newman, in her text, “Han Dynasty Foods” (2005), “Among the meat and poultry items, or parts thereof, are chicken, crane, deer, dog, duck, frog (bamboo chicken), goose, hare, magpie, ox, pheasant, pigeon, sheep, sparrow, and turtledove.” There were a great deal of meats that the citizens of China feasted on and enjoyed. Ancient Rome ate very little meat,...
Words: 1590 - Pages: 7
...Ancient China was a government ruled by dynasties and for many years China was eventually united under one of the regional kings; the first emperor was Qin Shi Huang, in 221 BC. China's long history has seen many extremely important ancient inventions and tremendous contributions to the world's economy and the culture of mankind. They were also important symbols of China's role as a great world civilization. Ancient China has many inventions and contributions, the 10 useful ones are identified as follows; Paper making is believed to be invented first in China. The proper paper making is one of the China's significant contributions to the development of human civilization. The paper was first made during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC). Another invention was a movable typing printing. The world's first printings were invented in China in the Tang Dynasty (618－907 BC). Chinese began to print mainly with carved blocks. Gunpowder is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate. It was used in firearms and as a pyrotechnic in fireworks. It was a useful invention that contributed to the advancement of generating large amount of heat and gas. Chinese also invented the compass. A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The first compasses were invented for harmonize environments and buildings in accordance with the geometric principles. The invention...
Words: 1386 - Pages: 6
...more than 3000 years. Out of all Chinese history, Ancient China is the most remembered. Ancient China’s great wisdom enabled them to become one of the most successful civilizations. This was proven through their flourishing economy, organized political structure and modern innovations. The mark of every new dynasty would be the mark of a new economic advancement for the ancient Chinese civilization. The Han dynasty is when we first see Ancient China economically flourish because of their clever tactics. In the Han dynasty they created what is called the Silk Road, which enabled trading from China to neighbouring countries such as Greece, India, The Persian Empire, and Rome. This Silk Road enabled them to trade silk and import gold which expanded their trade greatly. The Silk Road also helped in providing new cultural ideas to ancient China from other civilizations to further improve. Another resource that promoted the growth of the industry in Han China was Iron. Iron weapons equipped the imperial army and iron tools also helped produce the grain that helped feed the soldiers. The Silk Road enabled ancient China to expand its economic powers by trading north, south, east and west to all countries. Many other civilizations did not look to expand their trading while as ancient China were clever enough to do so. By expanding, their economy flourished in the Han dynasty. This time of period was known as the golden age for ancient China. Also, obtaining iron not only benefited their...
Words: 1334 - Pages: 6
...China is one of the oldest civilizations,dating back thousand of years with continuous history. The first period in ancient China was the neolithic period followed by the Xia Dynasty, the Shang Dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty and the Western Zhou. The Yangtze River considered to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. Ancient historical text have provided some proof of the possible existence of the Xia Dynasty that existed even before the Shang Dynasty of 1700-1046 B.C. The last time period considered to be included in the Ancient China time period was the Eastern Zhou. Imperial China followed Ancient China beginning with the Qin Dynasty. The Xia Dynasty ruled from the 21st to the 17th century B.C. The Shang Dynasty ruled from the 17th century to 1046 B.C. They ruled a lot of the area along the Yellow River. It’s founder w2as Tang. The Zhou ruled from 1046 to 256 B.C. This was the longest ruling dynasty in China’s history. The Western Zhou, the first part of the Zhou Dynasty ruled from 1046 to 771 B.C. Its founder was King Wu. The eastern Zhou, the second of the Zhou Dynasty ruled from 770 to 256 B.C. The Peking Man that was discovered in 1923 is the most famous Homo erectus specimen of Paleolithic man in Ancient China. By Shang times, the Chinese had developed complex religious beliefs many of which continued to be practiced for...
Words: 468 - Pages: 2
...crops fail. This allows the population to be more stable and less subject famine cycles. Pottery was practiced in China only after 5000 B.C. III. Specialization of labor: The advantages of specialization of labor are better defense, better technology, more goods for trade, and the ability to support traders and better co-ordination and cohesion due to specialized leadership. IV. Urbanization: Towns and cities grew and they became meeting points for traders who exchanged surplus food and crafts items. Centers such as Anyang and Loyang in China grew and became a focus of migration for a growing agricultural population. V. Political factors: Presence of a king with distinguished roles. VI. Environmental factors: Stability of environment, natural boundaries. 2. Discuss the major features of the following in the early Chinese history showing those that have affected development of the modern world. 1. Political structures 2. The Chinese economy 3. Social structures 1. Political structures China had a government ruled y dynasties, united under one dynasty but often competing dynasties in controlling different regions. Ancient China’s resources, large areas and large populations demanded a strong central government. When one of these regional dynasties became dominant their king would become the emperor. The government these dynasties created tended to be very autocratic and even despotic, ruthlessly enforcing...
Words: 710 - Pages: 3
...Since china is seeing a rapid economic development in the past few decades, we have also heard about the environmental and other issues related to the development of the country. Since I came to china for study, I got the opportunity to learn more about the success of china’s economic development as well as the negative externalities of the development and also the problem related to higher population. I have also learned about Chinese culture, language, the interesting dynasties (kingdoms) and the Chinese people’s way of life. However, the most interesting thing I learned about china was contribution from ancient Chinese science and technological inventions to the world. Since there are a lot of ancient Chinese inventions, in this essay I would like to give information about some of the very interesting and useful ten ancient Chinese inventions that I believe we cannot imagine without them today. 1. Toilet Paper Toilet paper was one of the very important Chinese inventions that we cannot imagine living our life without. Toilet paper was used in China for the first time in history during 6th century AD. In 589 AD a famous scholar Yan Zhitui wrote about the use of toilet paper and the word spread throughout China and toilet paper became popular in China. 2. Ice Cream Ice cream, our favourite treat is another surprising invention in ancient China. It became a new invention 3000 years ago when rich Chinese families started to treat their guests to sweet juices mixed with snow...
Words: 1100 - Pages: 5
...Empire The history of Chinese empire traces back to thousands of years. Some of the ancient dynasties of China include Shang dynasty, Western Zhou dynasty and Eastern Zhou dynasty. The Shang dynasty emerged in 1766 BC and disappeared when the Western Zhou dynasty defeated the last king of the Shang dynasty in 1122 BC (Pines, p. 12). The Eastern Zhou dynasty emerged in 771 BC, which underwent two traditional phases known as ‘Warring States’ and ‘Spring and Autumn’. Ancient China had a well-developed agricultural and irrigation system and was home to several plant and animal species. The most important of all is the period of Confucianism in which Confucius transformed the Chinese by formulating the ethics of public and family interactions (Pines, p. 17). He also set educational standards in the ancient Chinese empire by focusing on the six art forms of archery, computation, calligraphy, music, ritual and chariot-driving (Pines, p. 27). Confucianism became the most important influential philosophy during the reign of Han, Song and Tang dynasties. Chinese calligraphy and literature became the most renowned written language across the world. The rich tradition of the country is visible in its dramatic visual arts. Chinese drama, including music became a significant literary form and was mostly a derivation from the philosophical works of Confucius, which continues even today (Pines, p. 185). Ancient Chinese produced novels and poetry at a very early period. Chinese opera has become...
Words: 334 - Pages: 2
...The Han dynasty was a very important time in ancient China’s history. The Han dynasty lasted from 206 B.C.E. to 220 C.E., which is over 400 years! The Han dynasty arose because the Chinese people were unhappy with the harsh, Legalist rule of the Qin. Under Han rule, China had a golden age, or a long period of stability and wealth. Education, literature, and art flourished, while new practices, inventions, and discoveries improved people's lives. The Han dynasty improved government and daily life in China in many ways. The government improved a lot under the Han dynasty. They adopted the centralized government established by Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. But they softened the harsh ruling style of the Qin emperor and brought Confucian ideas back...
Words: 409 - Pages: 2
...I would like to describe the Ritual grain server as I think the vessel has reflected the ancient Chinese culture. The medium of the Ritual Grain Server is bronze and it was made in the Western Zhou Dynasty which was between ca. 1050 - 771 B.C.E. The vessel itself was made in between ca. 1050-1000 B.C.E. China has a long history and the origin of their culture could be traced back to five thousand years ago. In this long period, many Dynasties had fallen with the arisen of the other Dynasty. In this process, the culture of the Ancient China has changed and evolved until it became today form. The vessel Ritual Grain Server that we are looking at in here is from the Western Zhou Dynasty. Western Zhou Dynasty is an early Dynasty among all. The vessel consist a lot of features of the Zhou Dynasty and some of these features passed from that time until now. The vessel on the picture has many spikes and there is a head of a dragon on the vessel. The vessel itself has two ears and there are pattern that are sculptured on its ears. The vessel has a flat bottom which means it has no legs at all. The vessel was used as a grain server only but the designs on it have content a lot of meaning. Firstly, the head of the dragon on the vessel is a symbol of prestige usually used by the Emperor. Dragon from ancient China was different from the western one, the dragon from the ancient China is more like a snake. Dragon was a symbol of power as well as the King. Dragon was also known as a Holy...
Words: 371 - Pages: 2
...The Ancient Chinese are responsible for many inventions and contributions to the world. Some of their inventions and contributions include paper making, moveable type printing, gunpowder, compass, alcohol, mechanical clock, tea production, silk, practical umbrella, acupuncture, iron and steel smelting, porcelain, earthquake detector, rocket, bronze, the kite, the seed drill, row crop farming, toothbrush and paper money. We will take a look at 10 of these contributions and then choose the four that I believe are the most important. I will then choose one of the Ancient Chinese contributions that I cannot live without. The most prominent inventions are: * Gunpowder: The principle behind gunpowder was discovered by the Chinese in perhaps the first century A.D., during the Han Dynasty. It wasn’t used in guns at the time, but created explosions at festivals. They mixed together saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal dust, which they put into bamboo tubes, and threw into fires until they found a way to propel the matter on its own as a rocket (Gill, 2013) * Silk: During the Shang Dynasty the Chinese learned to cultivate the silk worm, real out its silken thread, and create silk fabric. Not only was the silken fabric useful in heat or cold as clothing, but, as a highly sought-after luxury item, it led to commerce with other peoples and the spread of culture all the way to and from the Roman Empire. (Gill, 2013). * Paper: Another Han Dynasty invention. Paper could be made from a...
Words: 1048 - Pages: 5
...1 ANCIENT CHINA 1 Introduction and General Remarks for Ancient China Ancient civilizations of the Egyptians and Mesopotamians have long disappeared, but Ancient Chinese civilization and its transformation to modern times has lasted as the largest and most enduring one in human history. This is even more remarkable when observing the numerous leitmotifs of the Chinese society that were inaugurated so long ago, and many of these themes still resonate today. Ancestral worship, the Mandate of Heaven, and the numerous philosophical ideas, especially of Confucius, have been practiced or used for thousands of years. Remote and mysterious are two adjectives that Western Society has applied to China until recently. China is the only civilization where western thought had no influence until modern times, and also practically the only large region in the world where western men never ruled. For westerners, Chinese customs seem reversed to theirs. White is the color of mourning for the Chinese not black, and for them the left side is one of honor not the right side. Writing is read vertically from the top right-hand corner downward. These few differences reveal that Chinese culture evolved independently of western influences. One can only marvel at the longevity of Chinese civilization. Influence of Geography 2 Geography has played an important role in Chinese History as in most ancient, medieval, and modern cultures. While 85% of China is arid or inaccessible steppes...
Words: 3234 - Pages: 13
...ANCIENT CHINESE CONTRIBUTIONS 1 Assignment 2: Ancient Chinese Contributions Thomas R. Felix Strayer University Humanities 111 Professor Aprile Castagna March 05, 2013 ANCIENT CHINESE CONTRIBUTIONS 2 The Ancient Chinese culture was a very successful culture that created many inventions and contributed to the advancement of not only the Chinese civilization but also to the civilization of the world. According to Henry Sayre, the Qin Dynasty, which was said to exist from 221BCE until 206 BCE, was the first empire in China to rise to dominance; however, the Han Dynasty was given credit for the most Ancient Chinese contributions and inventions (Sayre, 2012). The Han Dynasty existed from 206 BCE until 220 CE, and during the Han Dynasty contributions and inventions by the Ancient Chinese included: the wheelbarrow, seismograph, paper, compass, map, glazed pottery, hot air balloons, and silk. While the Ancient Chinese made many contributions and inventions for the world, the four most useful are the wheelbarrow, the seismograph, paper, and the map. Today the wheelbarrow is commonly used for farming, gardening, and construction work such as moving dirt, bricks, mulch. It is suitable for many jobs because it allows the weight of the contents to be evenly distributed between the wheel and the operator. For many of the same purposes...
Words: 1182 - Pages: 5
...ANCIENT CHINESE CONTRIBUTIONS HUM111/032VA016-1128-001 December 22, 2012 ANCIENT CHINESE CONTRIBUTIONS Ancient China has a glorious history and it is well known that China is the main source of a lot of innovative and ingenious inventions. They have invented things that we as modern Americans continue to use and depend on today. It seems as though the Ancient Chinese were extremely inventive and people all around the globe owe them an awful lot. The Ancient Chinese has given us inventions that have continued to shape the world, as we know it, today. Most of the things that we depend on today basically began with our Asian counterparts. The Ancient Chinese have contributed to the world the compass, papermaking, the movable-type print, gunpowder, porcelain, the mechanical clock, toilet paper, and silk. These inventions are just to name a few; however, the four most ingenious and innovative inventions made by the Ancient Chinese are the compass, papermaking, the movable-type print and gunpowder. First of all, the compass, invented by the Ancient Chinese in 220 BCE, was supposed to be able to harmonize environments and buildings in accordance with the geometric principles (cultural-china.com, 2007-2010). Originally, the compasses were not built for navigation, but the spoon shaped compass made of magnetic ore with a bronze plate which dated back to the Han Dynasty, was used to determine the best location ad time for a burial (Silverman, n.a.). The compass...
Words: 1368 - Pages: 6
...Brief History of China Prehistory Mythical Era Ancient Era Imperial Era Modern Era Introduction Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River Valley in the Neolithic era A history of 4700 years since Yellow Emperor during the period of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors; the written history of China begins with Shang Dynasty 3600 years ago when turtle shells with ancient Chinese writing were carbon dated in 1500BC Prehistory Peking Man Paleolithic – – – – China was inhabited by Homo erectus more than 1 million years ago The archaeological site of Xihoudu site in Shanxi Province is the earliest recorded of use of fire by Homo erectus 1.27 million years ago The excavations at Yuanmou and later Lantian show early habitation The most specimen of Homo erectus found in China is the so-called Peking Man discovered in 1965 Prehistory (cont.) Neolithic – – – – – – Stone Tools The Neolithic age traced back to 10,000 BC Early evidence for proto-Chinese millet agriculture is carbon-dated to about 7,000 BC Population was increased due to agriculture, the ability to store and redistribute crops and to support specialist craftsmen and administrators In late Neolithic times, the Yellow River valley began to establish itself as a culture center, and the first villages were founded Early history of China is complicated by the lack of a written language during this period At Damaidi site in Ningxia, 3172 cliff carvings dating to...
Words: 4650 - Pages: 19
...Brief History of China Prehistory Mythical Era Ancient Era Imperial Era Modern Era Introduction Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River Valley in the Neolithic era A history of 4700 years since Yellow Emperor during the period of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors; the written history of China begins with Shang Dynasty 3600 years ago when turtle shells with ancient Chinese writing were carbon dated in 1500BC Prehistory Peking Man Paleolithic – – – – China was inhabited by Homo erectus more than 1 million years ago The archaeological site of Xihoudu site in Shanxi Province is the earliest recorded of use of fire by Homo erectus 1.27 million years ago The excavations at Yuanmou and later Lantian show early habitation The most specimen of Homo erectus found in China is the so-called Peking Man discovered in 1965 Prehistory (cont.) Neolithic – – – – – – Stone Tools The Neolithic age traced back to 10,000 BC Early evidence for proto-Chinese millet agriculture is carbon-dated to about 7,000 BC Population was increased due to agriculture, the ability to store and redistribute crops and to support specialist craftsmen and administrators In late Neolithic times, the Yellow River valley began to establish itself as a culture center, and the first villages were founded Early history of China is complicated by the lack of a written language during this period At Damaidi site in Ningxia...
Words: 4650 - Pages: 19
