Dbq World History Ap

1439 Words6 Pages
Both the Han Chinese and the Romans made use of technology, and the ways the empires were affected and the way applied the technologies were of a vast spectrum. These societies valued innovation, and especially the Han would honour those culturally significant by attributing the creation of technologies commonly used under the Han to these culturally relevant figures. The effect of central-government and other forms of management on these technologies and their uses had both positive and negative effects. For the Han, a state-induced monopoly had a vastly harmful effect, and if the government had not interfered then the progress of the tools would not have been interrupted. The governing authorities again like to use culturally significant figures in the tales of innovation and invention and discovery. Even with such advanced politics and thought, a class distinction still persisted, and though they had seen the benefit of all this technology, there were those in the upper class who felt it was beneath them to use such tools in any way. T Innovation was of great value to both the Han and Romans. The Han placed a higher attribution to culturally relevant creators. For example, Huan Tan, an upper-class Han philosopher wrote in New Discourses (Document III) of an emperor of myth inventing and refining the pestle and mortar for all people. This emperor even went so far as to introduce hydropower to greater aid people in the use of these new tools he had brought to the world. The fact that this Chinese philosopher attributes this to a mythical creation shows that innovation is important culturally to the views of the Han in terms of innovation. An example of the Romans’ appreciation of innovation is given by Frontinus in Document VIII. Frontinius, a Roman general, and the water commissioner for the city of Rome. Frontinius goes into glorious detail about the utility of
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