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Similarities And Differences Of Ancient Greece And Medieval China
Both Ancient Greece and medieval China were of great importance to their respective area; ancient Greece greatly contributed to the development and ideals of the western world, and medieval china the same to the Eastern world. Due to this they shared many similarities, however there were also many difference between them.
Similarities
There are many similarities that one can draw between Ancient Greece and Medieval China. In ancient Greece, there was no notion of one unified Greek state, although the population as a whole believed in the same Gods and shared the same language. The whole of Greece was split into separate city-states with each state having a different form of governance, and unique laws. For example, Sparta was an oligarchy, Athens was a direct democracy for a time period and Corinth was ruled by a monarchy. The dynamic between these city-states was a complex one, sometimes they would band together to fight off a common enemy, whereas a lot of the time they would wage war against each other. Similarly, in medieval China there was no notion of a unified country, and instead it was split into several nation-states, much like how Greece was split, and similarly to Greece they were engulfed in inter-state wars.
In Ancient Greece the culture encouraged men to be educated in subjects such as science, politics, mathematics and literature. This led to the golden age of Ancient Greece that led to many inventions and discoveries, some of which include discovering that the Earth is spherical, the basis of geometry and the water mill. A similar culture was found in medieval China that emphasized the importance of education that also led to many inventions such as the gunpowder and the abacus.
Differences
Despite many similarities, the two civilisations also had many differences, perhaps owed to the different times during history in which they existed. One major difference was that, although the Greeks followed one religion, medieval Chinese was filled with many religions, predominantly Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.
Another difference is the lasting legacy of both civilisations and how they were spread. Medieval China, although several nation-states, was a large regional power, and exerted its influence over its neighbors which adopted many of its customs. Ancient Greece however, was not a regional power, its influence was mainly spread by the Romans who were very fond of their culture, even going as far as modeling their gods on the Greek ones!
Both medieval China and Ancient Greece have made a huge impact on civilization. Both made many advances in technology and science and left a lasting legacy that is felt to this day.