Occupational Associations and Religion: Early Rome Empire and Tang Dynasty Compared
By Jinyu Liu, Emory University
The occupational associations in both the Roman Empire and Tang Dynasty of Ancient China were multi-dimensional and multi-functional organizations. Based on a close analysis of the primary sources, this paper compares the interactions between the occupational associations and religion in Rome and Tang.
Astrologers and Occultists in the Courts of Rome and Han
By Yacong Qiu, University of California, Santa Barbara
This paper is an attempt to comprehend the function and impact of occultism in the form of astrology on ancient society, specifically in terms of its relationship with political culture, by comparing the relationship between the ruling class and occultists in the Early to Middle Roman Empire (1st c. BCE – 3rd c. CE) and the Han Dynasty (3rd c. BCE – 3rd c. CE) from the beginning of each empire to its zenith. “Occultist,” as discussed in this paper, is an umbrella term for persons who worked with “supernatural” forces, such as diviners, astrologers, magicians, etc.
The Politics of the “New Music” Tradition in Roman Greece and Warring States China
By Patrick Huang, University of Western Ontario
Roman Greece (circa. 1st c. BCE – 4th c. CE) and Warring States China (5th c. – 3rd c. CE) both saw significant evolutions of their political structures over their histories. Occurring in parallel to these evolutions, however, are observable transitions in musical cultures of these societies as well. While it remains popular to analyze the interrelated dynamics between poetry and political structures (Bessone 2014), attempts to do the same with musical cultures are few and far between (Csapo 2004).
Losers: Dynamic and Discourse of Defeated Generals in Rome and China
By Jordan Thomas Christopher, Loyola Marymount University
This paper engages a targeted comparison of the treatment and behavior of defeated generals in the Roman Republic and early Principate with equivalent cases evidence in Eastern Zhou and Han China (8th C. BCE to 3rd C. CE). Specifically, this paper explores three separate but related dynamics of defeat: how surviving defeated generals behave in defeat, how generals are remembered when they are killed in battle, and how they are treated by their leaders.
Metaphor and Microcosm: The Body and the State at the Dawn of Empire in Rome and China
By Amy Russell, Brown University
Han Chinese texts allude to a conceptual model of macrocosm and microcosm, in which elements at different scales, from the body to the household to the city to the empire to the cosmos map onto each other. This system, expounded by Lewis (2006) among others, has already been compared with Roman imperial models of space by Chen (2020). In this paper I historicize the comparison, analysing the model’s development in both Rome and China, to show that in both cases it is a development particular to the period of consolidation of territorial empire.