The Golden Ages of the Tang and Song Dynasties of China and the Byzantine Empire
Summary:
The achievements of two famous "Golden Ages": The Tang and Song Dynasties of China and the Byzantine Empire of eastern Europe. A Golden Age is a period of peace when the economy prospers and civilization is advanced.
Throughout history, many cultures have experienced a Golden Age. A golden age is a time period for a region when the economy prospers, everything is peaceful and there is no war or warfare. The Tang and Song dynasties of China and the Byzantine Empire have both experienced Golden ages.
During Tang and Song China, China prospered. During these two dynasties China was thought to be the most advanced place in the world at that time period. To be considered educated you had to know poetry. Tang Poetry was very popular and talked about the shortness of life and the immensity of the universe. During the Tang, Buddhism spread, farming increased and learning and the arts continued. Emperors redistributed land to peasants and charged them taxes, as a result the government got more money and the economy prospered. To get a position in Government, you had to pass a civil service exam. The buraecracy was expanded during the Tang and Song dynasties of China. During these two dynasties, China made a lot of achievements. Gunpowder, clocks and porcelain were used and invented during these dynasties.The Chinese also built Pagodas (temples) to Buddha, this shows how good the Chinese were at architecture. During this time period China was internally united through canals.
The Chinese also traded with the outside world. During the Song, foot binding was very popular. It became a symbol of female beauty. During the Tang and the Song dynasties China greatly prospered and was considered the most advanced during this time period.
Like China in the Far east, the Byzantine Empire also prospered in Eastern Europe. The capital of this mighty empire was Constantinople. The location of Constantinople was ideal for trade, it connected the East and the West. Emperor Justinian was one of the most famous emperors for the Byzantine Empire. Justinian wanted to make the Byzantine Empire a "second Rome." Justinian codified Roman law, which was known as Justinian's code.During this time period Christianity arose. Justinian wanted his empire to be as great as the Roman Empire so he built a church called Hagia Sophia. People of this Empire had to be educated in order to read the Bible. There was a great deal of entertainment for the people of the Byzantine Empire. There were theaters and chariot races. There were a lot of universities in Constantinople, so nobody could be illiterate. The Byzantine Empire was a Great,and prosperous empire.
The Song and Tang dynasties of China and the Byzantine Empire, have both experienced Golden Ages throughout their history, both of them did huge amounts of trade and the economies prospered. Throughout history many cultures have experience a "Golden Age."
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