The Roman and Mongol invasions were spontaneous across the globe in the 13 th century which saw the empires expand substantially across Asia and Eastern Europe. Historians have long denoted the Roman Empire under Julio Caesar as one of the most successful and transcendent empires in history. In particular, the Roman Empire has been linked with great success and development of the Western civilization. On the other hand, the Mongol Empire rose against all the odds and in their wake thwarted more powerful and populous enemies. The empire grew by initially carving out parts of China and continuously expanding to become the world’s largest land empire under Genghis Khan in 1206 C.E who struck fear into his foes. Despite their few numbers, the Mongols were able to conquer Russia, the Middle East, and China. in this regard, the paper aims at providing an articulated discourse that demonstrates how capturing vast territories, the willingness of the colonies to become Roman, and military tactics aided the spread of the Roman Empire. On the other hand, the discourse will also highlight how the barbaric nature of the Mongols, a large army, as well as facilitation and support of trade between the East and the West contributed to the rise and expansion of the Mongol Empire. Throughout the discourse, a comparison of the two empires regarding their similarities and differences will be given.
Comparison
Geographical Location
The origin and location of the Roman Empire was a consolidation or conglomeration of many city-states in the Italian Peninsula from which it expanded to a powerful empire spanning across continental Europe which encompassed Britain, most of Western Asia, the Mediterranean islands, as well as North Africa. The Empire started as a small civilization on River Tiber in Central Italy subsequently expanding and reaching its peak in 5 th century BCE and 1 st century CE (Khan Academy, 2018). Comparatively, the Mongol Empire also started as a consolidation of Chinese towns, a phenomenon initiated by the Steppe tribes. However, the towns and tribes grew into an empire under the Mongol Warlord referred to as Genghis Khan in 1206 CE, (Pillalamarri, 2018). The empire under its fierce leader expanded and conquered most of the Middle East, China, and Russia. Unlike the Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire could not expand into Africa following their defeat by the Mamluks of Egypt in the battle of Ain Jalut.
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Cultural Advances
Ancient Rome was the envy for most civilizations based on its culture that encompassed art, architecture, clothing, drinking, music, and religion (Catholicism). However, the advancement of the culture came during the Pax Romana which was a prolonged period of the peace that gave the Roman culture adequate time to flourish and spread across its territories. In essence, as an envied and most desired civilization, most of the conquered territories were swift to adjust and adopt the new Roman culture. As Pillalamari (2018) ascertains, once defeated, individuals aspired to become Roman which they achieved through participating in the urbane, sophisticated and classical culture. Additionally, advances of the Roman culture were greatly propelled by the Latin language and Roman alphabet illustrated through the empires literature which recorded its culture. This inspired interests among civilizations within the empire and those outside; a tenet that saw the spread of the culture long after the collapse of the empire.
On the other hand, much about the Mongolian culture is not recorded. However, as ascertained by Columbia University (2018), the Mongol Empire encouraged craftsmanship and accorded artisans with the highest status in the society as opposed to many civilizations including the Romans. The craftsmanship thus allowed the spread of the Mongolian culture through the crafted pieces. This shows the similarity that both empires believed in craftsmanship and art and used it to spread their culture to other regions such as Persia where Mongolian painting and art spread the empire’s culture. Besides, both cultures believed in traditional clothing and jewelry. The del , traditional Chinese clothing for both men and women was a central cultural piece that helped spread the culture among other civilizations such as Islam which the Mongols liaised with for financial administration. Similar to Pax Romana, the Mongol Empire also had an era of peace referred to as Pax Mongolica where their culture such as Shamanism advanced throughout the territories.
Technological Advances
Given the ancient setting of both empires, technological advancement was minimal and barely notable. However, among the recorded technological progress of the Roman Empire are modernized roads (Via Appia), minted silver coins, high-quality armor and weapons, and architecture which led to the development of aqueducts that delivered water to cities over long distances. Also, the empire’s advancement was depicted through sewerage systems to cater for the growing population (Khan Academy, 2018). On the other hand, most of the technological advancement of the Mongol Empire rose from their association with foreigners, especially from the Middle East. As such, unlike the Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire was advanced in astronomy and medicine. As such, the empire saw developments such as observatory centers which catalyzed the development of advanced astronomical instruments some of which were imported from Persia. To this end, the empire was able to develop a more accurate calendar. Nonetheless, both empires were advanced in weapons such as ox-bows and spears.
Tactical Advances
Both empires, though different, employed military tactics in their conquests. However, both employed barbaric tactics which involved massive killing and bloodshed of their enemies. However, unlike the Mongolians, the Roman Empire enslaved its enemy soldiers who were used in building and other hard labor including fighting other enemies. Also, the Roman legions or army were divided into different classes (Comitia Centuriata) which explained their roles in war as opposed to the Mongols who used their sheer numbers to overwhelm the enemies. Unlike the Mongolians, the Romans used different battle formations such as the testudo or tortoise formation which was a form of a shield wall formation used by the legions during sieges.
Moreover, while the Romans believed in the tactic of pursuing their enemies which often landed them in ambushes, the Mongolians believed in retreating and regrouping. Additionally, unlike the Romans, the Mongolians complimented their huge armies with herds that included horses which sustained them throughout the warring period and when supplies got depleted, they sustained themselves with horse blood (Pillalamarri, 2018). As such, the Mongolian war tactic was patient as opposed to the Roman’s. However, due to their vast acquisition of literature, the Roman rulers were advanced in tactics and ideologies, and as such, they knew how to use the surrounding such as the landscape to their advantage.
Governments
While Julio Caesar steered the Roman Empire, Genghis Khan led the Mongol Empire. Both governments were similar in the sense that they undertook taxation. However, the Mongol government granted tax cuts to merchants as a means of encouraging trade with the outside world. Also, while the Roman government divided its subjects into castes, the Mongol government governed the subjects as equals. This Mongolian precept arose from its fierce leader who had strong adherence to religion. According to Boyle (1997), Genghis Khan never used intimidation or threats to solicit allegiance from his subjects or rivals. Instead, he used religious references to coerce the people; “And for him that putteth his trust in Him God will be all-sufficient,” (p25).
Besides, the author contends that Genghis Khan set penalties for every criminal act which were recorded in rolls collectively referred to as the Great Book of Yasas which was materialistic when deliberating state affairs such as conquests with other leaders. Comparatively, the Roman Empire divided its governance into political institutions such as the Patricians, the Plebeians. Moreover, the Roman governance and system was democratic and was more formal and organized with provinces headed by leaders that formed a Senate as opposed to the monarchial Mongol government.
Conclusion
The Roman and Mongol conquests were spontaneous across the globe in the 13th century which saw the empires expand substantially across Asia and Eastern Europe. The expansion hinged on several factors relating to governance, advancement in technology, tactics as well as culture. Though both empires had intrinsic differences, they shared similarities such as ushering in eras of peace, using warfare tactics to gain an edge over their enemies and developing some form of governance over their subjects. However, learning about the two empires teaches the fundamentals for the success of a government or empire as well as the inherent reasons that could result in the collapse of the same. Also, the history of both civilizations provide insights into how governance in the modern society evolved from the ancient empires such as the Roman Empire which was crucial in advancing ideologies and axioms for modern-day governments.
References
Primary Source
Boyle, J. A. (1997). Genghis Khan: The History of the World Conqueror by ‘Ala-ad-Din ‘Ata-Malik Juvaini translated from the text of Mizra Muhammad Qazvini. University of Washington Press . http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001086/108630Eb.pdf
Secondary Sources
Columbia University. (2018). Asian Topics in World History. Retrieved from http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/main/transcript.pdf
Khan Academy. (2018). The Roman Republic. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/ancient-medieval/roman-empire/a/roman-republic
Pillalamarri, A. (2018). America, Rome, the Mongols and More: 5 Most Powerful Empires in History. Center for the National Interest. Retrieved from https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/america-rome-mongols-and-more-5-most-powerful-empires-history-33561
