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 * Social Structure in Han China and Imperial Rome**

Paris Hyatt is a report for Gossip Magazine and keenly interested in the social structure of Han Dynasty China and Imperial Rome. Ms. Hyatt lives in a gated community far from the city, supports several local charities, and is addicted to watching the E! channel. To help her decide which dynasty to visit, you will need to research answers to the following key questions:

= **Key Questions:** =
 * 1) How were the social structures broken down in the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire
 * 2) Describe and explain the types of jobs within each social structure?
 * 3) What was life like in each social class? Describe the family life? Could people move from one social class to the next very easily?
 * 4) How were women and slaves treated in the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire?
 * 5) What was education like for all people in the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire?
 * 6) Which empire should Ms. Hyatt, a reporter for //Gossip Magazine//, visit? Why?

=Resources= Your research will be confined to the following web resources and library databases. If you wish to use a resource not on this list you must seek approval from your teacher.

**Rome**
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 * China **
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 * __ [|http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CHEMPIRE/FORMHAN.HTM] __
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 * Library Databases **
 * @http://www.micdslibrary.com/databases.html

Scroll down to the History/Social Studies menu; the ABCCLIO Ancient World History database is particularly helpful.

=Research and Citations= Use the space below to record your research for each question. Remember that you will need to cite your sources using the format found on the MICDS Library resource page.

How were the social structures broken down in the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire
Han China: There were mainly four structures that Han China was broken into. The Shi was the upper class, which contained of the gentry scholars. Next came the Nong which had the peasant farmers. After the Nong there was the Gong class which had the artisans and the craftsmen. Lastly there was the Shang which was the merchants and craftsmen. These were the classes in which most people were divided into.

Imperial Rome: The patricians (upper class) were the ones who did all the things in the government. Most of the people who were the plebeians (lower class) had no say in the government. The patricians got away with more and life was easier for them. As for majority of Rome, plebeians, had harsher punishments and laws.

Describe and explain the types of jobs within each social structure?
Han China: Women were expected to take care of children, weave clothes for entire family, preform domestic duties such as: cook, though farming was mens job, some women worked along with husbands and brothers. Some of the women formed "spinning and weaving groups" so that together they could pay for the candles, lamp oil, and the heat for the night and long winters. Singing and dancing were often professions of women to entertain wealthy patrons. When a husband died, the women made clothes of silk for a living, other more fortunate women became medical physicians. Men had many jobs as well. Like a lot of them worked in the government (upper class). Lower classes worked as farmers, merchants, tradesmen, etc.

Imperial Rome: In Rome, most upper/middle class men were business men, had some modern day jobs (doctor, builder...), or had a place in the government. Upper class men worked in areas like the senate or an equestrian. Though it still took special qualifications to be and equestrian or a senator. The Emperor did not live very long because many were murdered so the murder could rule. Lower class men (plebeians) were farmers, blacksmiths, and such. The slaves, just served their master and the freed ones still had different rights than other men. === What was life like in each social class? Describe the family life? Could people move from one social class to the next very easily? === Han China: It was difficult to move to another social class from another, because of the money issue. If people didn't have enough money to begin with, how were they going to get enough to move to a different class. Also, to get a good spot in the government, family history mattered. The other people in the government have to have known the family from before and know you as a child. When family's finally got together, usually the wives would be working and cooking and the men could tell the women to do what pleased them.

Imperial Rome: Family life was very different depending which social class you were in. There were laws enforced on the social structure but there was still interaction between them. The Romans dressed differently, ate different foods, and got to do different things depending on their class. It was difficult to go from one class to another because one of the main factors that divided the classes was: wealth and money. If someone was not born very rich, and they didn't have many opportunities to get more money, so it was hard. The patricians had more of a luxurious life than the plebeians. They had slaves to help them with their work. They got all many foods such as honey, bread, cheese, and water. The plebeians only had bread to eat. The men in the wealthier families did ate, prayed, worked, ate, bathed, and ate again. This was a typical day for a wealthy roman man. A poorer man would just eat, work, maybe attend things and go to bathe, and eat. They were very diverse in what they did according to their social status.

How were women and slaves treated in the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire?
Han China: Women in the Han dynasty were treated closely to the slaves, but not as luxurious as the men. The men got to go and be the emperors and always were treated with much more respect than the women. The women had to do whatever the men wanted them to do for them. They had to obey the father, then their husband, then their adult son. Some people did however have very intense arguments with their husband. Those acts usually got a punishment, not a very big one though. Some husbands actually turned to their wives for advice if they worked in the government.

Imperial Rome: Women and slaves were treated similarly. The women did not work (most of them unless they really needed the money) and usually thats what their husbands did. Wealthier women were expected to stay at home and finish chores while watching the kids. They did not go to all the places their husbands did but were not treated like the slaves. They still got an education in learning how to take care of the house. They learned how to spin, weave, cook, and clean so that when they got married (around age 14-15) they knew how to do things on their own. Slaves, worked for the women, children, and men. If some were lucky enough to get an education, they were taught by their parent or another slave usually. They learned how to take care of a house, like the women. They also had to stay in the house. Women and slaves were not treated completely the same, but in some ways they did do things similarly.

What was education like for all people in the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire?
Han China: In the beginning emperor Wudi had them build an all boys school. Pretty soon many children attended that school. There they learned Confucianism (philosophy) and they had a confucian teacher. They learned basic things like art, literature, and math.

Imperial Rome: Women and slaves learned how to cook, weave, spin, and clean to get ready for marriage, but men learned art, literature, math, etc. Men were the ones who went to work and did the business. The slaves learned most of the things the women did, but they didn't go to school and all of that stuff. They learned from another slave, or maybe a parent. The education you got depended on the class and gender you were. The men and women had completely different knowledge, but surprisingly they both knew enough to work together at that time.

Similarities and Differences
Before deciding which dynasty your client should visit, you may wish to create a simple Venn Diagram to compare/contrast the two empires. You may use [|this template] or create one online at Read-Write-Think.

Which empire should Ms. Hyatt, a reporter for //Gossip Magazine//, visit? Why?
She should visit the Han empire because there is more diversity between women and men. The men and women had more differences and than the people in Rome. The women in the Han empire had more jobs then the women in the roman empire. Han and Rome were both good, but Han would be more interesting to see.

= **Travel Poster Components:** =

You will create a travel poster for each of the two empires. Each poster should be attractive, persuasive, and highlight the major features related to your topic. You will create the posters using Glogster.edu (instructions will be provided in class) and they should contain the following components:

__**Travel Poster Components**__
 * 1) One Glogster.edu poster for each dynasty
 * 2) At least three "must see" tourist features with detailed text and relevant images for each dynasty
 * 3) At least one audio recording on each poster

The **[|Poster Rubric]** will be used to evaluate your work; you should refer to it before handing in your final product. When you have completed the poster, embed it below the "Travel Poster" heading below:

Travel Posters
//embed your posters here by copying the embed code from Glogster and adding an HTML widget//

= **Oral Presentation Guidelines** = The oral presentation is your opportunity to share your posters, explain whether your client should visit Han China or the Roman Empire, and should follow these guidelines:
 * 1) Less than three minutes in length
 * 2) Should address/explain the "must see" features of each dynasty
 * 3) Should explain which destination the client should visit and why

This presentation is about speaking skills and the use of your posters. You will be permitted to use notecards but are NOT to simply read your notes to the audience. The **[|Presentation Rubric]** will be used to evaluate your work; you should refer to it before giving your final presentation.