Home Region: West Africa (Africa)

Akan - Pre-Ashanti

1501 CE 1701 CE

D G SC WF R CC

EQ 2020 gh_akan / GhAshnE

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

[continuity, elite migration; Akan States] [elite replacement] Update here

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.

1701 CE 1895 CE Ashanti Empire (gh_ashanti_emp) [continuity]

General Description

The gold-producing region between the Comoé and Volta rivers has been inhabited by Akan-speaking people since the 13th century CE. This region has seen the emergence of various autonomous states, including Bono, Djomo, Akwamu, Fante, and Asante. Later in its history, the founders of the Ga and Ewe states arrived from what is now Nigeria. ^[1] In 1471, Portuguese sailors reached this stretch of coast and quickly established trade with the coastal Akan states, exchanging European goods for gold. ^[1] Trade routes soon connected the coast to the Niger bend region, along which descendants of the former Bonda and Kumbu kingdoms founded the Akyerekyere and Akumu-Akoto kingdoms respectively. The Portuguese referred to this latter kingdom as the ’Acanes’, which is the source of the name Akan. ^[2]
In 1701, the Asante rebelled against the dominant Denkyira state and formed a confederacy of Akan states who accepted Asante rule. This confederacy began to conquer the surrounding polities, and by 1764 the Greater Asante controlled an area nearly the size of present-day Ghana. ^[2]
Europeans continued to be drawn to the Ghanaian coast in search of gold and, by the 19th century, the British were the strongest European power in the region. In 1827, British-led troops defeated an Asante army at Katammanso. ^[2] In 1831, the British and Asante signed a peace treaty that allowed trade in all ports, and by 1844 the British gained control over criminal matters in the areas around trade forts. By 1872, the British had complete control of the coast, and when they did not recognize Asante sovereignty, the Asante attacked. The British were victorious, and after another war in 1895, the Asante king and chiefs were exiled. The entire region was declared a British territory in 1901. ^[2]
Population and political organization
During the pre-Asante period, each Akan state consisted of a single kingdom ruled by an omanhene, which literally translates to ’state-chief’. ^[2] This king came from a royal clan, and was elected by various officials, most notably the ohemmaa (’queen-mother’), who was a senior woman of the clan. The king was a sacred person who could not be observed eating or drinking; nor could he be heard to speak or be spoken to. ^[2]
After 1701, political organization within the region became far more bureaucratic and specialized. Kumasi became the capital of the union of Asante states and the seat of the empire. Appointed officials began to replace those wielding hereditary authority, and a treasury partly operated by literate Muslims was created. ^[3] However, while bureaucrats ran many of the day-to-day operations of the empire, the authority of the king was still absolute. ^[4]
Population estimates are not available for the pre-Asante period. The population of the entire Asante union in 1874 is estimated at three million people. ^[5]

[1]: (Fage et al. 2017) Fage, John D., Ernest Amano Boateng, Donna J. Maier, and Oliver Davies. 2017. "Ghana." Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Ghana. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/XFKDKSW3.

[2]: (Gilbert, Lagacé and Skoggard 2000) Gilbert, Michelle, Robert O. Lagacé, and Ian Skoggard. 2000. "Culture Summary: Akan." eHRAF World Cultures. http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu/document?id=fe12-000. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/ZJ844XUN.

[3]: (McLeod 1981) McLeod, M. D. 1981. The Asante. London: British Museum Publications. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/RS692TAZ.

[4]: (Arhin 1986, 165-66) Arhin, Kwame. 1986. "The Asante Praise Poems: The Ideology of Patrimonialism." Paideuma, no. 32: 163-97. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/87N692IT.

[5]: (Obeng 1996, 20) Obeng, J. Pashington. 1996. Asante Catholicism: Religious and Cultural Reproduction among the Akan of Ghana. Leiden: E. J. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/P8MFGRGQ.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

1 Capital

1 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Suprapolity Relations

1 Supracultural Entity

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Scale of Supracultural Interaction

2 Relationship to preceding Entity

2 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

2 Linguistic Family

2 Language

Religion

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

1 Population of the Largest Settlement

1 Polity Territory

1 Polity Population

1 Largest Communication Distance

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

1 Religious Level

1 Military Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

1 Professional Soldier

1 Professional Priesthood

1 Professional Military Officer

Bureaucracy Characteristics

1 Specialized Government Building

1 Merit Promotion

1 Full Time Bureaucrat

1 Examination System

Law

1 Professional Lawyer

1 Judge

1 Formal Legal Code

1 Court

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Irrigation System

1 Food Storage Site

1 Drinking Water Supply System

Transport Infrastructure

1 Road

1 Port

1 Canal

1 Bridge

Special-purpose Sites

1 Mines or Quarry

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

1 Nonwritten Record

1 Mnemonic Device

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Scientific Literature

1 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 Practical Literature

1 Philosophy

1 Lists Tables and Classification

1 History

1 Fiction

1 Calendar

Information / Money

1 Token

1 Precious Metal

1 Paper Currency

1 Indigenous Coin

1 Foreign Coin

1 Article

Information / Postal System

1 Postal Station

1 General Postal Service

1 Courier

1 Fastest Individual Communication

Information / Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

1 Wooden Palisade

1 Stone Walls Non Mortared

1 Stone Walls Mortared

1 Settlements in a Defensive Position

1 Modern Fortification

1 Moat

1 Fortified Camp

1 Earth Rampart

1 Ditch

1 Complex Fortification

1 Long Wall

Military use of Metals

1 Steel

1 Iron

1 Copper

1 Bronze

Projectiles

1 Tension Siege Engine

1 Sling Siege Engine

1 Sling

1 Self Bow

1 Javelin

2 Handheld Firearm

1 Gunpowder Siege Artillery

1 Crossbow

1 Composite Bow

1 Atlatl

Handheld weapons

1 War Club

1 Sword

1 Spear

1 Polearm

1 Dagger

1 Battle Axe

Animals used in warfare

Armor

1 Wood Bark Etc

1 Shield

1 Scaled Armor

1 Plate Armor

1 Limb Protection

1 Leather Cloth

1 Laminar Armor

1 Helmet

1 Chainmail

1 Breastplate

Naval technology

1 Specialized Military Vessel

1 Small Vessels Canoes Etc

1 Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases

1 Crisis Consequence

Power Transitions

9 Power Transition

Instability Events Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan) was in:
(1501 CE 1701 CE)	Ghanaian Coast

Home NGA: Ghanaian Coast

General Variables

Identity and Location Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	30 N	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Original Name	Akan - Pre-Ashanti	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Capital	None (Absent Capital)	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Alternative Name	Akan	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Temporal Bounds Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	[1650 CE ➜ 1701 CE]
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Duration	[1501 CE ➜ 1701 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	none	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Supracultural Entity	West Africa	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Ashanti Empire	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction	5,112,903 km²	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	continuity	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	elite migration	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Preceding Entity	continuity, elite migration; Akan States [elite replacement] Update here
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Succeeding Entity 1701 CE 1895 CE	Ashanti Empire (gh_ashanti_emp) [continuity]
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Degree of Centralization	quasi-polity	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Language Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Niger-Congo	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Linguistic Family	Kwa	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Language	Akan	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Language	Twi	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Religion Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	- Undecided	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Polity Territory	- Undecided	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Polity Population	- Undecided	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Largest Communication Distance	- Undecided	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	3	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Religious Level	[2 to 3]	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Military Level	5	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Administrative Level	4	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Professions Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Present Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Merit Promotion	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Examination System	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Law Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Judge	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Court	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Unknown Suspected	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Irrigation System	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Food Storage Site	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Absent Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Port	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Canal	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Bridge	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Information / Writing System Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Script	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Mnemonic Device	Present Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Sacred Text	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Religious Literature	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Practical Literature	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Philosophy	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Absent Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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History	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Fiction	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Calendar	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Information / Money Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Present Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Precious Metal	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Paper Currency	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Foreign Coin	Absent Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Article	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Information / Postal System Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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General Postal Service	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Courier	Present Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Fastest Individual Communication	- Undecided	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Information / Measurement System Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Absent Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Unknown Suspected	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Unknown Suspected	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Unknown Suspected	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Moat	Unknown Suspected	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Fortified Camp	Unknown Suspected	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Earth Rampart	Unknown Suspected	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Ditch	Unknown Suspected	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Complex Fortification	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Long Wall	absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Military use of Metals Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Iron	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Copper	Absent Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Bronze	Absent Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Projectiles Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Sling	Absent Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Self Bow	Present Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Javelin	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	1600 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Present	1700 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Crossbow	Unknown Suspected	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Composite Bow	Absent Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Atlatl	Absent Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Handheld weapons Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Sword	Present Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Spear	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Polearm	Absent Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Dagger	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Battle Axe	Absent Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Animals used in warfare Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Armor Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Shield	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Scaled Armor	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Plate Armor	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Limb Protection	Unknown Suspected	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Laminar Armor	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Helmet	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Chainmail	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Breastplate	Unknown Suspected	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Naval technology Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Absent Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present Inferred	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Absent	1501 CE 1701 CE
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Human Sacrifice Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More