When will academics stop claiming that China and Europe "diverged"? 5 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24 💾 History Ancient Civilizations Cultural Identity In antiquity, 'Europe' did not exist as a common identity like 'China' did. Roman Empire was not a centralized state ruling over Europe; it was a Mediterranean empire. The idea of China and Europe 'diverging' is false and stems from a flawed assumption of historical trajectories.