Home Region:  Iran (Southwest Asia)

Achaemenid Empire

550 BCE 331 BCE
EQ 2020  ir_achaemenid_emp / IrAchae
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[continuity; Median Empire] [continuity]   Update here

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.

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  General Description  
The Achaemenid Empire was established by Cyrus II ’the Great’, who inherited the small kingdom of Persia (named after the capital city, Persis) in southwest Iran, a vassal territory of the larger Median Empire to the Northwest. From 553 to 550 BCE, Cyrus led his fellow Persians against Median hegemony (even though the Medes were ruled by his own relatives), establishing the Persians as the dominant group in Iran. His kingdom became known as the Achaemenid Empire after the legendary first King of Persia, Achaemenes, claimed to be an ancestor of the Great Cyrus himself (Achaemenid essentially translates to ’children of Achaemenes’). [1]
Capitalizing on these early victories, Cyrus II the Great continued his military domination, conquering the wealthy Lydian Kingdom in modern-day Turkey along with most of Asia Minor and the Neo-Babylonian Kingdom in Mesopotamia, as well as consolidating Persia’s hold over much of central Asia as far as modern Pakistan. His son and heir, Cambyses II, continued this tradition, expanding Achaemenid rule into the large and wealthy kingdom of Egypt. After Cambyses II’s death in 522 BCE, a noble Persian named Darius came to power after overthrowing an alleged usurper to the throne (Gautama, supposedly posing as Cyrus II’s son Bardiya, more commonly known by his Greek name Smerdis). [2] Darius I, who also took the title of ’the Great’, was a powerful ruler who inaugurated several military, administrative, and economic reforms, [3] though is most well known for leading the Persian army to defeat at the hands of a coalition of small Greek city-states during the famous Persian Wars of the early 5th century BCE. Despite the fact that Darius’ son and heir Xerxes I (the Great) also failed to conquer the Greek Aegean and lost a decisive battle to the same outnumbered coalition of Greeks, the Achaemenid Empire remained intact. [4]
In 330 BCE, Darius III became the twelfth and final emperor in the Achaemenid line when he succumbed to the conquests of Alexander the Great and his invading Macedonian army (twelfth not including the alleged usurper Bardiya/Smerdis nor the short-lived Artaxerxes V, who declared himself emperor for a brief moment after Darius III was killed as Alexander was completing his conquest). [5] Alexander became the ruler of all the territory formerly held by the Persians, incorporating it into the massive, though short-lived, Macedonian Empire and bringing an end to the great Persian Achaemenid Empire.
Population and political organization
The Achaemenid Empire was one of the largest empires in the pre-modern world, stretching nearly 6 million square kilometres across the Near East, Central Asia, the Indus Valley, Middle East, and into Egypt at its greatest extent. [6] It was a massive, multi-ethnic society made up of Medes, Persians, Lydians, Greeks, Egyptians, Babylonians, Bactrians, Sogdians, and numerous other cultural-ethnic groups; indeed, Old Persian, Elamite, Babylonian, Aramaic, hieroglyphic Egyptian, and Greek were all used in royal and provincial communication. [7] Between the Great rulers Cyrus II, Cambyses II, and Darius I, the Persians had stitched together an empire out of the centres of the oldest civilizations from Anatolia to Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Indus valley. Persepolis and the grand Pasargadae were large ceremonial and ritual centres in the heartland of Persia, while Susa in western Iran was the major administrative capital. At its peak under Darius I, the empire covered a huge swathe of diverse territory from the eastern Mediterranean all the way to the Indus Valley, incorporating navigable seas and rivers, protected ports and fertile agricultural land as well as rough mountainous passes. This territory held a population of between 17 and 35 million people. [8]

[1]: (Briant [1996] 2002) Pierre Briant. [1996] 2002. From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire, translated by Peter T. Daniels. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns.

[2]: (Shayegan 2006) M. Rahim Shayegan. 2006. ’Bardiya and Gaumata: An Achaemenid Enigma Reconsidered’. Bulletin of the Asia Institute (n.s.) 20: 65-76.

[3]: (Cook 1983) J. M. Cook. 1983. The Persian Empire. London: J. M. Dent and Sons.

[4]: (de Souza 2003) Philip de Souza. 2003. The Greek and Persian Wars, 499-386 BC. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.

[5]: (Kuhrt 2001, 94) Amelie Kuhrt. 2001. ’The Achaemenid Persian Empire (c. 550 - c. 330 BCE): Continuities, Adaptations, Transformations’, in Empires: Perspectives from Archaeology and History, edited by Susan Alcock, Terence D’Altroy, Kathleen D. Morrison and Carla M. Sinopoli, 93-123. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[6]: (Broodbank 2015, 583) Cyprian Broodbank. 2015. The Making of the Middle Sea. London: Thames & Hudson.

[7]: (Shahbazi 2012, 135) A. Shapour Shahbazi. 2012. ’The Achaemenid Persian Empire (550-330 BCE)’, in The Oxford Handbook of Iranian History, edited by Touraj Daryaee, 120-41. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[8]: (Wiesehöfer 2009) Josef Wiesehöfer. 2009. ’The Achaemenid Empire’, in The Dynamics of Ancient Empires: State Power from Assyria to Byzantium, edited by Ian Morris and Walter Scheidel, 66-98. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.
Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp) was in:
 (550 BCE 546 BCE) Kachi Plain
 (546 BCE 539 BCE) Konya Plain   /   Kachi Plain
 (539 BCE 538 BCE) Susiana   /   Konya Plain   /   Kachi Plain
 (538 BCE 525 BCE) Southern Mesopotamia   /   Susiana   /   Galilee   /   Konya Plain   /   Kachi Plain
 (525 BCE 520 BCE) Upper Egypt   /   Southern Mesopotamia   /   Susiana   /   Galilee   /   Konya Plain   /   Kachi Plain
 (520 BCE 405 BCE) Upper Egypt   /   Southern Mesopotamia   /   Susiana   /   Galilee   /   Konya Plain   /   Sogdiana   /   Kachi Plain
 (405 BCE 334 BCE) Southern Mesopotamia   /   Susiana   /   Galilee   /   Konya Plain   /   Sogdiana   /   Kachi Plain
 (334 BCE 331 BCE) Southern Mesopotamia   /   Susiana   /   Galilee   /   Sogdiana   /   Kachi Plain
 (331 BCE 330 BCE) Sogdiana   /   Kachi Plain
 (330 BCE 329 BCE) Kachi Plain
Home NGA: Susiana

General Variables
Identity and Location Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Utm Zone 39 S 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Original Name Achaemenid Empire 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Capital 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Capital 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Alternative Name 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Alternative Name 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Temporal Bounds Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
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Peak Years
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Duration
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Political and Cultural Relations Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Suprapolity Relations none 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Supracultural Entity Persian 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Succeeding Entity Macedonian Empire 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Preceding Entity
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Succeeding Entity
404 BCE 342 BCE
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Degree of Centralization 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Degree of Centralization 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Language Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Linguistic Family Indo-European 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Linguistic Family Afro-Asiatic 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Linguistic Family language isolate 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Language 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Language 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Language 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Language 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Language 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Religion Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Religion Genus Zoroastrianism 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Alternate Religion Uncoded Undecided 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Population of the Largest Settlement 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Polity Territory 539 BCE 501 BCE
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Polity Territory 500 BCE 451 BCE
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Polity Territory 450 BCE 331 BCE
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Polity Population 500 BCE
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Polity Population 400 BCE
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Hierarchical Complexity Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Settlement Hierarchy 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Religious Level 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Military Level 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Administrative Level 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Professions Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Professional Soldier 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Professional Priesthood 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Professional Military Officer 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Specialized Government Building 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Merit Promotion 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Full Time Bureaucrat 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Examination System 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Law Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Professional Lawyer 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Judge 550 BCE  331 BCE
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550 BCE  331 BCE
Court 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
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Market 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Irrigation System 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Food Storage Site 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Drinking Water Supply System 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Transport Infrastructure Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Road 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Port 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Canal 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Bridge 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Special-purpose Sites Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Mines or Quarry Present Inferred 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Information / Writing System Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Written Record 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Script 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Nonwritten Record 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Non Phonetic Writing 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Mnemonic Device Present Inferred 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
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Scientific Literature 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Sacred Text 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Religious Literature 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Practical Literature 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Philosophy 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Lists Tables and Classification 550 BCE  331 BCE
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History 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Fiction 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Calendar 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Information / Money Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Token Unknown Suspected 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Precious Metal 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Paper Currency Absent 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Indigenous Coin 550 BCE 516 BCE
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Indigenous Coin 515 BCE 331 BCE
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Foreign Coin 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Article 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Information / Postal System Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Postal Station 550 BCE  331 BCE
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General Postal Service 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Courier 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Information / Measurement System Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
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Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Wooden Palisade Present Inferred 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared Unknown Suspected 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Stone Walls Mortared Present Inferred 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position Present Inferred 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Modern Fortification Absent 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Moat 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Fortified Camp 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Earth Rampart 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Ditch 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Complex Fortification 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Long Wall 60 km 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Military use of Metals Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Steel 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Steel 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Iron 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Copper 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Bronze 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Projectiles Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Tension Siege Engine 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Sling Siege Engine 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Sling 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Self Bow 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Javelin 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Handheld Firearm Absent 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery Absent 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Crossbow Absent 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Composite Bow 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Atlatl 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Handheld weapons Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
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War Club 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Sword 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Spear 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Polearm 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Dagger 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Battle Axe 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Animals used in warfare Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Horse 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Elephant 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Donkey 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Dog 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Camel 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Armor Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Wood Bark Etc 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Shield 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Scaled Armor 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Plate Armor 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Limb Protection 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Leather Cloth 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Laminar Armor 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Helmet 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Chainmail 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Breastplate 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Naval technology Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Specialized Military Vessel 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc Present Inferred 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service 550 BCE  331 BCE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Religion Variables
Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Human Sacrifice Achaemenid Empire (ir_achaemenid_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Instability Data
Power Transitions