Rome and Han China
Teacher Resources
Lesson Guide
Did you know that you can find teacher instructions, lesson timing, vocabulary, and sample answers in the guide?
Blog Post: Who Really Built the Silk Roads?
This lesson focuses on the twin pillars of the ancient world: the Roman Empire and Han China. These two empires were thousands of miles apart, but they were connected in important ways thanks to the many communities between them. Read more about these networks in this blog post.
Driving Question: How did Roman and Han Dynasty rulers grow and maintain their empires?
The Roman Empire and Han Dynasty China were the two pillars of the ancient world. These two empires linked with each other across a vast network of Silk Road trade. In the Mediterranean Sea and East Asia, they conquered vast territories and ruled over periods of peace and prosperity, thanks to innovative economic, political, and miliary strategies.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze the formation and characteristics of the Roman Empire and Han Dynasty China.
- Learn about the historical thinking practice of continuity and change over time (CCOT).
- Use the historical thinking practice of sourcing to evaluate historical context and purpose.
Vocab Terms:
Did you know: A tax on pee helped fund the colosseum. Emperors Nero and Vespasian imposed a urine tax on Rome. The ammonia-rich pee was valued in the tanning and laundry industries. To raise money, the emperors put a tax on the guys who collected pee from public urinals. Public toilets became known as vespasianos, after Emperor Vespasian.
Luxury goods, such as silk, drove long-distance trade in the ancient world. This quick activity uses a primary source excerpt to help you understand the demand for silk.
Teaching sourcing can be challenging at the best of times. And comparing sources written 2,000 years ago only adds to the challenges. But we’ve got your back. Be sure to read the Lesson Guide for sample answers that will help you guide students through the HAPPY graphic organizer.
What can two ancient empires from very different parts of the world teach you? You’ll find out when sourcing documents from Roman emperor Augustus and Han government officials of Emperor Zhao.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
This is the first CCOT activity in the course. If you’re looking for a few instructional tips, check out our quick one-pager, which includes the CCOT Tool and related Feedback Form.
We suggest chunking this activity: Have students complete the first portion of the activity as a whole group, the second portion with a partner, and then the rest of the activity individually.
How do we know where we are if we don’t know where we’ve been? Understanding continuity and change over time—CCOT—will help you know where we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going.
What would you do if you were transported to the ancient world? Use your imagination as you choose an empire.
Continue learning the details about Han China through this video, which looks across China’s long dynastic history into Confucianism and the Mandate of Heaven.
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Guiding Questions
