Home Region:  West Africa (Africa)

Akan - Pre-Ashanti

1501 CE 1701 CE
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.

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.
Religion Variables 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) See More
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 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)
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Peak Years
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Duration
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Political and Cultural Relations Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Suprapolity Relations 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Supracultural Entity 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Succeeding Entity 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Preceding Entity
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Succeeding Entity
1701 CE 1895 CE
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Degree of Centralization 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Language Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Linguistic Family Niger-Congo 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Linguistic Family Kwa 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Language 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Language 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Religion Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Population of the Largest Settlement 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Polity Territory 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Polity Population 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Largest Communication Distance 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Settlement Hierarchy 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Religious Level 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Military Level 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Administrative Level 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Professions Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Professional Soldier 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Professional Priesthood 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Professional Military Officer 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Specialized Government Building 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Merit Promotion 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Examination System 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Law Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Professional Lawyer 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Judge 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Court 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Market 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Irrigation System 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Food Storage Site 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)
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Road 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Port 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)
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Mines or Quarry 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Information / Writing System Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Written Record 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Script 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing Absent 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Nonwritten Record 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Mnemonic Device 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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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 1501 CE  1701 CE
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History Absent 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Fiction 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Calendar 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Information / Money Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Token 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Precious Metal 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Paper Currency Absent 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Indigenous Coin 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Foreign Coin 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Article 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Information / Postal System Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Postal Station Absent 1501 CE  1701 CE
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General Postal Service Absent 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Courier 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Fastest Individual Communication 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Information / Measurement System Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Wooden Palisade 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 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)
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Steel 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Iron 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Copper 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Bronze 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Projectiles Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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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 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Self Bow 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Javelin 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Handheld Firearm 1600 CE
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Handheld Firearm 1700 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Crossbow 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Composite Bow 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Atlatl 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Handheld weapons Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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War Club Absent 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Sword 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Spear 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Polearm 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Dagger 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Battle Axe 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Animals used in warfare Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Armor Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Wood Bark Etc 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Shield 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 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Laminar Armor Absent 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Helmet 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)
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Specialized Military Vessel 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)
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Moralizing Enforcement is Broad 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain 1501 CE  1701 CE
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Human Sacrifice Akan - Pre-Ashanti (gh_akan)
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Instability Data
Power Transitions