Around the late BCE and early CE time era there existed many empires, tied by the silk road, and divided by wars and cultural differences. The Parthian Empire was a staple of trade between the Roman and Han empires. At its peak, the Parthian Empire stretched from the northern reaches of the Euphrates, in what is now central-eastern Turkey, to eastern Iran. The empire, located on the Silk Road, became a center of trade and commerce. The Parthians largely adopted art, and architecture; and was a combination of, Persian, Hellenistic, and regional cultures. Much like the Roman and Han Empires of their time, the Parthians developed into a strong empire with a powerful military force. The Parthians shared many political similarities with the Han and Roman empires, ruling with an iron fist philosophy. The Roman and Han empires also have like ways of political control. Although the Roman and Han empires were immensely far from each other, they indefinitely shared more similarities than differences in their methods of political control.
In Han china, the concept of legalism was developed, and ruled by an absolute monarchy. Legalism advocated clear rules and harsh punishments as means of enforcing the authority of the state.
The Romans political control was largely based off social class, it was a republic at name, but a functionally absolute monarchy. Wealthy men dominated over women and poor men. They enforced a written code that protected the poorer class (plebeians) from abuse, and took high pride in it, believing they enjoyed greater freedom than their neighbors.
The empires of Rome and Han China are very similar as a result to their centralized governments, beliefs, and ways of ruling. Both empires had very strong centuralized governments,
