The Dragon and The Eagle

Comparing The Qin and Rome

Abstract

This paper examines the similarities and differences between the Qin state during the wars of unification and the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century. It explores how the leaders, Qin Shi Huang and Aurelian, used their governmental and martial apparatuses to conquer and unify their respective regions. With numerous similarities in their circumstances, both states would militarily subjugate their geopolitical rivals within a decade. By comparing government and military structures, one can gain an understanding of how these two periods of conquest and integration were instituted, as well as exploring the larger effects of these conquests on the history of the Qin Dynasty and the Roman Empire.