Technology: The Use Of Technology In Han And Rome

The Han and Roman empires both feel strongly about the advancement of technology during their time. Though both China and Rome favor technology, they have varying reasons for doing so such as seeing different advantages and disadvantages . Some political leaders and philosophers care and pay attention to different technologies while others’ have a more indifferent attitude towards it. The use of technology is seen in several ways, such as degrading or superior. The effects of technology were often preferred but they were not always positive and beneficial. A helpful document to be included and used to analyze this topic would be a source from the point of view of a common citizen from each society. A peasant’s voice would have shown what the people felt about the technologies that were used and invented.
It can be seen that some care about technology and some don’t when a Roman philosopher talks about their indifference to it or when a high official talks about a leader who was obsessive over certain technologies. In document 7, a Roman philosopher named Seneca says, “I do not believe that tools for the crafts were invented by wise men.” Clearly, Seneca does not care for these advancements. In contrast, a political leader, also from Rome, was described as very anxious about road building going in the

empire. Plutarch said in document 7, “He was especially anxious about road building. paying attention to utility as well as to which was beneficial to grace and beauty.” In Han China, government officials requested that water conservation offices were to be built and monitored in order to prevent flooding, as it says in document 4. This shows they took advantage of technologies to prevent disasters.
There were uses of technology that had a hand in how people were seen in society, such as how a Roman leader was convinced those who worked with tools for pay were vulgar and then in Han China one leader was admired for their peaceful ruling and useful adventure. In document 4 a Han Leader, Tu Shih is said to be a great and peaceful leader. It also says, “He invented a water powered blowing-engine… allowed people to enjoy great benefit for little labor.” A Roman Leader says in document 5, “... as to which crafts and other means of living are suitable for a gentlemen to practice and which are degrading.” What Cicero is saying that if you work with tools and do manual labor for pay, you are vulgar and unbecoming. In document 8, a Roman general talks about how their water structures are useful and superior to other Greek works in multiple ways.
Technology was used in ways that were successful but also in ways that weren’t in Han and Rome.

In document 2, a Han government official talks about how the use of iron tools is failing and there are negative effects to their production. A Han philosopher talks about the invention of the pestle and mortar and how beneficial they were in document 3. It says these were invented by Fuxi and they were improved, “Later on… cleverly improved… the benefit was increased tenfold.” Going back to document 7, Seneca discusses how certain technologies are not useful or unimpressive, “The question of whether the hammers or the tongs came first does not seem important to

me.”
These eight documents give insight and reason as to what the Han and Roman felt about technology and how it affected their societies. It’s clear that the Han took advantage of their technological successes and they valued the benefits. The Romans also saw many advantages of technology but they often used it to show their superiority to other societies.