Rome and China: Comparative Perspectives on Ancient World Empires (Oxford Studies in Early Empires) 1st Edition

by Walter Scheidel (Author)

11 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0195336900

ISBN-10: 0195336909

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Transcending ethnic, linguistic, and religious boundaries, early empires shaped thousands of years of world history. Yet despite the global prominence of empire, individual cases are often studied in isolation. This series seeks to change the terms of the debate by promoting cross-cultural,
comparative, and transdisciplinary perspectives on imperial state formation prior to the European colonial expansion.

Two thousand years ago, up to one-half of the human species was contained within two political systems, the Roman empire in western Eurasia (centered on the Mediterranean Sea) and the Han empire in eastern Eurasia (centered on the great North China Plain). Both empires were broadly comparable in
terms of size and population, and even largely coextensive in chronological terms (221 BCE to 220 CE for the Qin/Han empire, c. 200 BCE to 395 CE for the unified Roman empire). At the most basic level of resolution, the circumstances of their creation are not very different. In the East, the Shang
and Western Zhou periods created a shared cultural framework for the Warring States, with the gradual consolidation of numerous small polities into a handful of large kingdoms which were finally united by the westernmost marcher state of Qin. In the Mediterranean, we can observe comparable political
fragmentation and gradual expansion of a unifying civilization, Greek in this case, followed by the gradual formation of a handful of major warring states (the Hellenistic kingdoms in the east, Rome-Italy, Syracuse and Carthage in the west), and likewise eventual unification by the westernmost
marcher state, the Roman-led Italian confederation. Subsequent destabilization occurred again in strikingly similar ways: both empires came to be divided into two halves, one that contained the original core but was more exposed to the main barbarian periphery (the west in the Roman case, the north
in China), and a traditionalist half in the east (Rome) and south (China).

These processes of initial convergence and subsequent divergence in Eurasian state formation have never been the object of systematic comparative analysis. This volume, which brings together experts in the history of the ancient Mediterranean and early China, makes a first step in this direction, by
presenting a series of comparative case studies on clearly defined aspects of state formation in early eastern and western Eurasia, focusing on the process of initial developmental convergence. It includes a general introduction that makes the case for a comparative approach; a broad sketch of the
character of state formation in western and eastern Eurasia during the final millennium of antiquity; and six thematically connected case studies of particularly salient aspects of this process.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book is an admmirable demonstration of the great potential that lies in comparative analysis of the Greco-Roman world and Ancient China. It is hoped that this book will form the basis for more, exciting, comparative research, which will surely broaden the horizons of Ancient history beyond its
current compartmentalization and excessive departmentalization." --Bryn Mawr Classical Review

About the Author

Walter Scheidel is Professor of Classics and, by courtesy, History at Stanford University.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (February 5, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195336909
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195336900
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.14 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.3 x 1 x 6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,515,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5,091 in Asian History (Books)
- #5,797 in Ancient History (Books)
- #6,528 in Ancient Roman History (Books)

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11 ratings

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Jerry Kurjian

The bibliographies are a very nice source.

Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2017

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Overall, Rome and China offers some interesting comparisons between aspects of Qin/Han China and Imperial Rome. Some of the chapters tend more toward sociology than history. I found Bang's chapter on trade, Lewis' chapter on gift giving, and Scheidel's chapter on the monetary system to be the most interesting. The bibliographies are a very nice source.

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Anne Mills

Not The Broadbased Comparison I Hoped For, But Of Some Interest

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2013

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This is not, as the title led me to hope, a broad based comparison of the Roman Empire with Chinese empire of the same period. Rather, it is a compilation of seven academic essays comparing various aspects of political organization in the two empires. This does not amount to the same thing -- there is no overarching view, and no overall conclusions. Moreover, at least for a general reader, there are big differences among the essays. Two were very interesting to this general reader, and very readable -- Nathan Rosenstein on state formation and Karen Turner on law and punishment -- and another was almost as good, Peter Band on tribute and trade. But three other essays were too narrow in scope for a generalist -- Maria Dettenhoffer on women and (mostly) eunuchs, Mark Lewis on gifts and charity, and Walter Scheidel on monetary systerm (the last is an exhaustive, and exhausting, study of coinage). The introductory essay, also by Scheidel, is written in deep academese. Overall, this is a book for academics. It is also one, however, which a general reader will find useful and interesting -- in parts

11 people found this helpful

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Greg LaMotta

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2018

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A series of interesting essays exploring aspects of the similarities and differences between the two ancient empires.

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Deborah Dicus

well argumented and documented

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2013

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I liked this product as an excellent academic read. I thought his perspective on the convergence of civilization in the east and west and then divergence in goverance expressed why the Northern Hemisphere developed as it has. This book is recommended to the student of world history particularily those interested in the why and not oonly the what. Scheibel makes numersous refernce to factual data on the historical context and extrapolates those ideas.

2 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Great Insight

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2018

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A great comparison without a shred of entertainment value.. If you like your steaks hearty and dry this is the book for you!

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sw lim

rome and china

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2013

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rome and china were the largest and strongest countries in the west and east although they did not have direct contact by then, they influenced each other in terms of culture and technology, rome was supposed the first european country that imported chinese silk and ceramic, etc through persia and egypt

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BernardZ

A study of Rome vs China

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2011

Apparently, two thousand years ago half the people lived either under Roman or Chinese rule. What this book does is compare the two societies to see whether they have much in common. There does appear to be some items in common.

I was not so convinced that for the subject that many of the topics picked were that relevant, e.g. women, gifts and charity.

One big difference in the areas which has troubled people is why after the Chinese Empire fell, it managed to reunite yet the Roman Empire never did despite many attempts. No-one really has an answer to this, although there is some discussion about it in this book.

2 people found this helpful

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