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Coinage
and the economy in the Roman and Early Chinese Empires
The Roman Empire was more monetized than the Qin-Han Dynasty, but
even the latter was more monetized than most ancient agrarian economies. The
Romans minted coins of gold, silver, and bronze. The Chinese Empire issued
only bronze coins; gold and later silver were used as ingots.
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1. Roman coins.
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2. Chinese coins.
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The Roman coinage doubled
as a propaganda tool. Coins were frequently melted down and re-struck,
bearing current messages. The most common designs were the image of the
emperor or other grandees. (a) Image of Julius Caesar, with the inscription
proclaiming his status as dictator. (b) Imperial image of Augustus standing
on the globe. (c) Coin in the eastern provinces celebrating Augustus’
annexation of Cleopatra’s Egypt. (d) “Judea Morning”, issued 69-70CE upon
suppression of a Jewish revolt. (e) Image of Rome’s founding myth: Romulus
and Remus suckled by a wolf. (f) Coin commemorating the completion of the
Colosseum.
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The Chinese warring
states each cast their own bronze coins. They came in four basic types:
Knife coins; spade coins with pointed or rounded shoulders; small shell-like
coins; disc coins. The last type was used mainly in Qin. After Qin
conquered the other states and united China, it standardized coinage. The
Han Dynasty adopted Qin’s design, varying only the weight. The Han coin,
shown disproportionately large, is a disc with a square hole, with a raised
lip on the edge and inscription of the weight. The hole facilitates
stringing these small-denomination coins into larger units. It became the
basic design for two millennia in imperial China.
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The early Roman Republic and early Qin-Han
Dynasty were economies of small free holders who tilled their own land.
With the widening of the wealth inequality gap, many peasants lost their
farm and became tenant farmers. Here are two rent-collecting scenes. Notice
two differences. First, the Roman tenant paid his rent in money, the
Chinese paid in kind. Second, the account records held by the two landlords
show the different writing materials
in the two realms.
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3. Roman rent collector.
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4 Chinese rent collection.
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Tomb relief showing a
tenant farmer bring in his rent, while the landlord checking his account
book of wax tablets. Second or third century. (Landesmuseum, Trier).
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Tomb relief showing a
landlord sitting in front of his house, holding bamboo strips of account
record and watching tenants transferring grain from the cart to the
receiving measure. Latter Han. (Guanghan County Cultural Institution,
Sichuan).
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The Roman and Chinese were both agrarian
economies, where more than eighty percent of the population engaged in
farming and related activities. Grain was the largest staple. The Romans were
also famous for the production of olive and wine, the Chinese for silk.
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農戰
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The plough and the lance are symbolic foundations of Roman
civilization. Farmer-soldiers won an empire for themselves. (Museum of
Roman Civilization, Rome).
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“Farming and military readiness” was the policy of Shang Yang
(d. 338 BCE), whose reforms
changed Qin from a backward country to the unifier of China.
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Third century mosaic
showing plowing. (Cherchel Museum, Algeria).
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Rubbing of a tomb relief
showing ox-drawn plowing, which was becoming widespread in the Former Han
Dynasty. (Suining County,
Jiansu).
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5 Olive oil production.
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6. Silk production.
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The olive grove was an
important economic source for the Greco-Roman world. At harvest, the
branches were beaten with long sticks. The fallen fruits were gathered and
pressed to make olive oil. Oil was stored and transported in amphorae, some
of which were recovered from sunken ships. Soil erosion was a big problem
if plantations were not properly managed.
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Silkworm, the
caterpillar of the insect order Lepidoptera, is an eating machine of
mulberry leaves. After four molts, it produces a lustrous protein mixture
that hardens into a fiber, with which it makes a cocoon. Humans unravel the
cocoon by soaking it into hot water. Bundles of raw silk once served as a
kind of currency along the early Silk Route.
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7. Wine production.
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8. Textile production.
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Mosaic showing three steps of wine making: gathering grapes among
vine tendrils, bringing in the harvest, and treading the vintage. Fourth
century. (Santa Costanza, Rome.)
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Rubbing of tomb relief
showing a woman twisting silk yarns (right), another interlacing the
threads with a weft wheel (middle), and a third weaving with a loom. Latter Han. (Xuzhou, Jiangsu).
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9. Roman fishermen.
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10. Chinese farmers, hunters, and fishermen.
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Fishing with a net.
Detail of a second-century mosaic from Hadrumetum, Tunisia.
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Fishing and hunting
supplements farming for food. Latter Han tomb chamber decoration.
(Chengdu).
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Market places were bustling in both realms.
Commerce in the Qin-Han Dynasty was mainly confined to designated markets.
Shops also lined streets in Roman cities.
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11. A Roman shop.
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12. A Chinese wine shop.
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A market scene on a relief in Ostia, the port of Rome. Second
century. (Roger-Viollet, Paris).
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A wine shop on a tomb
relief in Peng County,
Sichuan. Latter Han. (Xindu County Cultural Bureau).
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