Slavery In Han China And The Roman Empire

400 Words2 Pages
Page 131, Questions for Analysis 1. Why might slavery have been less important in Han China than in the Roman Empire? Why would the treatment of slaves have been less harsh in China than in Rome? In contrast to the Roman Empire, which relied on slavery, the Han dynasty built its economy on the labor of free peasants that were forced to give up their surpluses as taxes. Additionally, in China, slaves were bound only to do the tasks assigned to them in a written contract; these contracts protected them by specifying exactly what could be asked of them and what they could not be punished for. Moreover, slavery was not a prominent institution in China, and slaves were usually peasants, criminals, or unwanted children that generally only performed
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