Jennifer+D


 * Religion in Han China and Imperial Rome**

Misty Fy is motivational speaker keenly interested in the religious practices in Han Dynasty China and Imperial Rome. An avid reader of self-help books, including "10 Days to Defeat Dystopia" and "Happiness CAN Be Bought", Ms. Fy believes that internal motivation comes from external sources. To help her decide which dynasty to visit, you will need to research answers to the following key questions:

= **Key Questions:** =
 * 1) What type of religion existed in the Roman Empire and Han Dynasty?
 * 2) How much of an influence did religion have in both places? Describe the impact, whether negative or positive, religion had on China and Rome?
 * 3) Describe the religious practice and form of worship that existed in the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire?
 * 4) Why and how did the Roman Empire move from a polytheistic religion to a set of beliefs focused on Christianity and monotheism?
 * 5) How did Confucianism influence the Han Dynasty?
 * 6) Which empire should Ms. Fy, a motivational speaker, 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.

What type of religion existed in the Roman Empire and Han Dynasty?
Han China: There were several religions in the Han Dynasty, but most of them didn't have much of an impact. The main religions were Daoism, Buddhism, Islam and Confucianism. Daoism promised eternal life as long as you did certain practices such as meditation or medical care. Daoism was founded by a person named Zhang Daoling. No one really knows for sure where it was founded. Buddism, one of the most significant religions in China originated in Nothern India. The founder was called Siddhartha Guatama, who was later called Buddha ( or the "Enlightened One" ). Buddha's teachings were based on 4 Noble Truths. They are "that life is suffering; there is a cause of that suffering; there is a way to end the suffering; and that the way is by following an Eightfold Path of right opinion, right thought, right speech, right activity, right livelihood, right effort, right attention, and right concentration. Basically Buddha's goal was to escape from the cycle of life and death and enter Nirvana. Islam is another religion that dominated parts of China. The founder of Islam is Prophet. The main teaching of Islam is that through the commitment of the people to God's way, they will become Muslim. Muslim is a term for people with submission to God and will find peace by doing so. There are five important steps of Islam and they are faith, prayer, fasting, sharing, and pilgrimage. To be Muslim you have to have faith in God and his word. There was also Confucianism which wasn't really considered a religion, it was considered more of a way to live life. Confucianism was chosen for use as a political system to govern the Chinese State.

Imperial Rome: The religion in Rome was different then the religion in the Han Dynasty. Roman Empire's religion was a force that bound subjects to their ruler, bound families together and that bound men to their gods. The religion in Rome was divided into two, household religion and state religion. Household religion was when you worship gods that protected your house and family. Every Roman beleived in other gods and goddesses that were adopted from the ancient Greeks. These gods were beleived that they controlled everything from falling in love to killing animals for dinner. The Romans build grand temples to honor the gods they beleived in. The Romans beleived that if they made the gods happy they would have good luck, if something terrible happens they thought that they did something wrong to make the gods angry. The Romans beleived that the gods were responsible for putting them on earth. Since religion was really important to the romans they emperors used it to their advantage. The religion in Rome was first polytheistic, which meant they beleived in many gods. But, later on they changed to monotheistic which meant they beleived in one god.

=== How much of an influence did religion have in both places? Describe the impact, whether negative or positive, religion had on China and Rome? === Han China: Religion had a huge impact on Han China. Religion had an importance in China because it was how they lived their life.Religion was just a part of their lifestyle. The impact was more positive then negative. It was positive because it helped the people in China lead a peaceful life. People in china depending on their religion had to do certain things to honor their religion. They would do things like meditate, create medical potions, or even do breathing exercises. Religion influenced alot of things in China.

Imperial Rome: Religion had a huge impact on Imperial Rome. Life in the Roman Empire basically surrounded religion. They built temples to honor the gods. They worshiped them every morning, and every night. They usually made sacrifices for the gods. In the temples there would be an alter where you would put gifts for the gods infront of. They adopted some of the Greek gods, but changed their names to make them theirs. They were polytheistic which meant they beleived in several different gods. But, later on they changed to monotheistic which means they beleived in one god. The impact wasnt necessarily negative or positive. But i guess it would be negative because you would have to pray in the morning and night, and make alot of sacrifices. Religion was part of the romans lifestyle. === Describe the religious practice and form of worship that existed in the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire? === Han China: There were 4 types of religious practice in the Han Dynasty. They are Daoism, Islam, Buddhism, and Confucianism.The four religions were all different. Daoism was sort of like a cult. The people who beleived in Daoism did things like meditation and medical practices. Confucianism was more like a way to live your life. It had a major impact on things like the political system, social system, and religious system. The people that beleived in the Islam religion were people who had to beleive in God, have faith in him and follow his words. Buddism was based on 4 noble truths. Basically Buddha wanted to escape from the life cycle of life and death.

Imperial Rome: The Romans had many forms of worship. The romans would have statues, temples, art, etc to honor the gods. They worshiped the gods by praying, making sacrifices doing rituals or giving gifts to the gods. They beleived that the gods would not judge them on how they live their life, but how they do the rituals and if they did them right. It was beleived that if you made the gods happy you would have good luck. If something terrible happend then the romans would think that they have done something wrong to make the gods unhappy.

=== Why and how did the Roman Empire move from a polytheistic religion to a set of beliefs focused on Christianity and monotheism? === Han China: The Roman Empire went from the Polytheistic religion to a set of beliefs focused on Christianity and monotheism. In the first few centuries AD christians were punished and prosecuted. But, that stopped after emperor Constantine became a Christian. After Constantine declared himself a Christian, he said that christians and pagans should be allowed to worship freely. Many people did not like the change to Christianity. Christianity became popular because God's of his teachings, his kindness and how he taught lessons through Christianity.

How did Confucianism influence the Han Dynasty?
Han China: The Confucianism religion influenced the Han Dynasty in many ways. Confucianism wasn't really viewed as a religion, it was more like a way to life your life. Confucianism is a complex system of moral, social, political, and religious system which had a huge influence on the history of Chinese civilization.Confucianism was named after a philosopher who gave the first comprehensive statement of Confucian. Confucianism was chosen by Han Wudi to use as a political system to govern the Chinese State. Confucianism lost a lot of its influence in the Tang Dynasty. Confucianism had a major impact on the Han Dynasty.

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. Fy, a motivational speaker, visit? Why?
I think Ms. Fy should visit the Roman Empire. The religion in the Roman Empire was polytheistic, which means they beleived in several gods. Some of their gods are Jupiter, Minerva, Vesta, Diana, Hercules, Mercury, and Apollo. The Romans had the same gods as the greeks but they changed their names and made it their own. The Roman Empire was very multicultural. Thats why Ms. Fy should visit the Roman Empire.

= **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
media type="custom" key="6209865" width="364" height="364"media type="custom" key="6210507" width="360" height="360" = **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.