The Han excelled in warfare. They had bronze iron swords that were very strong and effective in war. The army consisted of chariots, foot soldiers, and archers. They had created long swords because iron was that strong. they also created crossbows for the archers in the army. Generals often used kites with bamboo shoots attached to them to make a ghostly noise that scared away the enemy soldiers the kite was flown over.
(The image shows Han students taking a test to become civil servants.) The Han Dynasty was based on a bureaucracy, which is a form of government that is structured like a pyramid, with a few people at the top and many at the bottom. The people above direct those who are below them. Civil servants went through a hard test that really brought their skills to test. They had to memorize 5 books and recite it to pass. There were guards watching so that they do not cheat.
There were many important advances in technology helping farmers to make their work easier. For example, the Han invented the chain pump to irrigate farmer's lands. Farmers also used the Han's knowledge of how to make iron to make iron plows to help with farming.
(Image shows the production of silk.) Industry benefited under the Han dynasty. The Han government controlled the two most important industries in China: salt and silk. Since people other than the Han were not familiar with how to create silk, the Han kept it a secret and silk was then very valuable in trade. This led the Han to another success. Another industry, salt, was important for the Han, who did not live near the ocean. They created holes in the ground up to 1,000 feet deep to take saltwater. Once they had saltwater, they would get a boiling pot and put the water inside and wait for the water to evaporate. Once the water evaporated, it left salt.
Art was a key advance under the Han dynasty. Paper was invented to use with the art of calligraphy. The image shown is one such writing and example of Han art. A variety of materials were used to make paper, including silk fibers, hemp, bamboo, straw, and seaweed. These materials were boiled into a soapy pulp. A screen was then dipped into the pulp and brought out again. When the pulp dried on the screen, the result was paper.
Medicine under the Han involved treatments that are used in traditional Chinese healing today. The Ancient Chinese believe that the illness was caused when the yin and yang in one's body was unbalanced. Healers were their to restore balance of the yin and yang to the body. Two examples are moxibustion and acupuncture. The ancient Chinese also made discoveries that you can tell by someone's heartbeat by listening or feeling their pulse. Lastly, Han doctors discovered a wine that can be used to be anesthetic.
Science under the Han involved the first sophisticated technology, such as the first compass, or the first seismographs. Seismographs were used to detect the location of earthquakes. A compass was also created to tell direction. The compass consisted of a type of iron ore called lodestone. Lodestone tends to line itself up with the north-south line, due to Earth's magnetism. Therefore, they used lodestones to create compasses.