Han and Roman Technology

Isaac Collazo

9-15-2016

Han and Roman Technology

Both the Roman and Han empires developed many technologies and viewed it in different ways. While they both advanced over the year’s people felt differently about these advancements and about the people who made them. Even as the technology changed their daily life somewhere still not satisfied.

During the Han Dynasty technology changed in many ways both good and bad. For example, in the early second century B.C.E a government official wanted local officials to establish flood prevention and clean up offices. These would have people who knew the ways of water and also had people who could repair damage caused by floods (Doc. 1). Also in about 20 C.E. it is said that Fuxi invented the pestle and mortar while this development helped it was further improved over time. For instance, later on it was improved so that you could put your whole weight on it increasing its efficiency tenfold then animal power was implemented, and after that it was made even more efficient, up to a hundred fold, after the use of water power (Doc. 3). Later during about 31 C.E. Tu Shih invented a water powered blowing-engine for casting iron so that people could benefit more from less work (Doc. 4). All those advancements helped better life for the people and helped doing tasks simpler.

However, while some developments where good some government developments where not so useful; for instance, in the first century B.C.E it was required that workers to use iron tools made by state using convict labor. These tools where very crude and often didn’t work properly. Before that people could make their own tools which where normally excellent quality. Because of this and because the government monopolized the iron trades causing it to be sold at high prices some people had to revert back to using wooden plows (Doc. 2).

Technological advances also improved the life of Romans during the Roman Empire. However, they also had some negative attitudes towards some of the people who developed them. For instance, Cicero, a Roman political leader during the first century B.C.E., said that all craftsmen spend their time in vulgar occupations (Doc. 5). Likewise, Seneca, a Roman philosopher during the first century B.C.E., said that tools for crafts where not made by wise men, and he also says that which tools where made first is not important to him. To him the inventors where nimble and sharp minded but their minds where not elevated or great (Doc. 7).