Question

chinese sources describe a remarkable increase in the incidence of epidemics during the reign of emperor ling, with outbreaks recorded in 171, 173, 179, 182, and 185 ce... at the other end of the eurasian landmass the antonine plague... afflicted the roman empire for fifteen years from the mid-160’s ce... it is said to have been brought to rome by troops returning from campaign in mesopotamia, though it could, of course, have come from further east. from rafe de crespigny, biographical dictionary of later han to the three kingdoms, 2007. all of the following are factually accurate. what similarity between the roman empire and han china made them most vulnerable to outbreaks of contagious disease? choose 1 answer: a both were urbanized and engaged in extensive trade b both built up large and powerful militaries c both suffered from internal political conflict and revolts d both ruled over large and diverse populations

Explanation:

To determine the similarity making both empires vulnerable to contagious diseases, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Urbanization and extensive trade mean more people gathering and moving, facilitating disease spread. This directly relates to disease transmission.
• Option B: A large military alone doesn't inherently make them vulnerable to contagious diseases unless related to movement/contact, which isn't the direct link here.
• Option C: Internal political conflict doesn't directly cause vulnerability to contagious diseases; it's unrelated to disease spread mechanisms.
• Option D: Ruling diverse populations doesn't directly lead to disease vulnerability; diversity itself isn't a factor in disease transmission like trade and urbanization are.

So, urbanization and trade (more human contact and movement) make them vulnerable.

Answer:

A. Both were urbanized and engaged in extensive trade