what is the difference between empire and dynasty?

Question

like the kushan empire and gupta dynasty in classical india?

thanks

Answer 1

Empire is usually territorial, such as the Roman empire.

Dynasty is usally family, such as father, to son, to son, moving on through the same family line.

Answer 2

empire = land/property etc gathered over time, and "owned" by the ruler OR relaing to the ruler that owns it
dynasty = relates more to the fact that rule is passed on through a family, and so relates to the time period that that family group ruled for (like the Ptolomeic Pharoahs of Egypt, for example)

Answer 3

An empire extends over space and a dynasty through time.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/empire

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dynasty

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