ABSTRACT
The putative commonality of the Hun factor underlines the case for drawing comparisons with China. What is striking about it is the thoroughness with which the precept of imperial rule was applied so early on, and its resilience in subsequent centuries. Albert Kolb claimed that there is ‘scarcely a parallel in the whole of history for the achievements’ of the Qin dynasty, notably as regards the standardisation of everything from script to cart axles.128
