Home Region: Pakistan (South Asia)

Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic

4000 BCE 3200 BCE

D G SC WF R

EQ 2020 pk_kachi_ca / PkChalc

Preceding Entity:

No Polity found. Add one here.

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.

3200 BCE 2500 BCE Kachi Plain - Pre-Urban Period (pk_kachi_pre_urban) [continuity]

General Description

The Kachi Plain, in modern-day Pakistan, is hemmed in on two of its three sides by the mountains of Baluchistan, while its southeastern side opens up to the Indus Valley. ^[1] The earliest evidence for agriculture here was found in Mehrgarh and dates to 7000 BCE. The occupation of the settlement continued throughout the period under consideration here, between the 4th and the 2nd millennia BCE. In the region generally, the number of sites increased, the sites themselves became larger, and they expanded into the Indus Basin; notable sites include Periano Ghundai, Mundigak, Faiz Mohammad, Togau, and Sheri Khan Tarakai. Mehrgarh itself became an important centre for craft production, and excavations suggest increased diversity in burial rites. Agriculture remained the main economic activity in the region and oats, a new variety of barley and two new varieties of bread wheat became new staple cultivars. ^[2]
Population and political organization
It is not possible to give an accurate estimate of the region’s population at this time, ^[3] and the size of occupied Mehrgarh is uncertain, as the population shifted over time and part of the site has been cut away by the Bolan River. ^[4] Similarly, the literature does not provide many clues as to the political organization of Mehrgarh or any other site in the region during this period.

[1]: (Jarrige & Enault 1976, 29) Jarrige, Jean-François, and Jean-François Enault. 1976. “Fouilles de Pirak - Baluchistan.” Arts Asiatiques 32 (1): 29-70. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/Q32UJUPX.

[2]: (McIntosh 2008, 57-61) McIntosh, Jane. 2008. The Ancient Indus Valley. Santa Barbara; Denver; Oxford: ABC-CLIO. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/5P92SHE8.

[3]: (Possehl 1999, 472) Possehl, Gregory L. 1999. Indus Age: The Beginnings. New Delhi: Oxford & IBH Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IWNUD7IH.

[4]: (Jarrige 2013, 135-154) Jarrige, J.-F. 2013. Mehrgarh Neolithic. Paris: Éditions de Boccard. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/4MKZA34B.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

1 Capital

5 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Suprapolity Relations

1 Supracultural Entity

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

1 Language

Religion

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

1 Population of the Largest Settlement

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 Non Phonetic Writing

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

Information / Postal System

1 Postal Station

1 General Postal Service

1 Courier

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 Bronze

Projectiles

1 Tension Siege Engine

1 Sling Siege Engine

1 Sling

1 Self Bow

1 Javelin

1 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

1 Horse

1 Elephant

1 Donkey

1 Dog

1 Camel

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 Coding in Progress.

Power Transitions Coding in Progress.

Instability Events Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca) was in:
(4000 BCE 3201 BCE)	Kachi Plain

Home NGA: Kachi Plain

General Variables

Identity and Location Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	42 R Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Original Name	Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Capital	not applicable Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Alternative Name	Kili Gul Mohammad Period III Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Alternative Name	Kili Gul Mohammad Period IV Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Alternative Name	Quetta Valley Period H Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Alternative Name	Anjira I Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Alternative Name	Mehrgarh III Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Temporal Bounds Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Duration	[4000 BCE ➜ 3200 BCE] Expert
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Political and Cultural Relations Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	none Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Supracultural Entity	not applicable Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Succeeding Entity	not applicable Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Succeeding Entity 3200 BCE 2500 BCE	Kachi Plain - Pre-Urban Period (pk_kachi_pre_urban) [continuity] Expert
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Degree of Centralization	quasi-polity Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Language Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	unknown Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Language	unknown Expert	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Religion Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

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

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	[1,200 to 3,700] people	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Largest Communication Distance	- Undecided	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Hierarchical Complexity Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	2	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Religious Level	1	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Military Level	[0 to 1]	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Administrative Level	[1 to 2]	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Professions Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Absent Inferred	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Professional Priesthood	Present Inferred	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Professional Military Officer	Absent Inferred	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Merit Promotion	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Examination System	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Law Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Judge	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Formal Legal Code	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Court	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present Inferred	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Irrigation System	Present Inferred	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Food Storage Site	Unknown Suspected	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Unknown Suspected	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Transport Infrastructure Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Unknown Suspected	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Port	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Canal	Unknown Suspected	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Bridge	Unknown Suspected	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Special-purpose Sites Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Present Inferred	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Information / Writing System Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Script	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Nonwritten Record	Unknown Suspected	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Mnemonic Device	Unknown Suspected	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Sacred Text	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Religious Literature	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Practical Literature	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Philosophy	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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History	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Fiction	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Calendar	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Information / Money Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Present Inferred	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Precious Metal	Unknown Suspected	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Paper Currency	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Indigenous Coin	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Foreign Coin	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Information / Postal System Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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General Postal Service	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Courier	Absent Inferred	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Information / Measurement System Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

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

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Absent Inferred	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Moat	Unknown Suspected	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Fortified Camp	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Earth Rampart	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Ditch	Unknown Suspected	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Complex Fortification	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Long Wall	absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Military use of Metals Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Iron	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Bronze	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Projectiles Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Sling	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Self Bow	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Javelin	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Crossbow	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Composite Bow	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Atlatl	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Handheld weapons Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Sword	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Spear	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Polearm	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Dagger	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Battle Axe	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Animals used in warfare Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Elephant	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Donkey	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Dog	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Camel	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Armor Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Unknown Suspected	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Shield	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Scaled Armor	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Plate Armor	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Limb Protection	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Leather Cloth	Unknown Suspected	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Laminar Armor	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Helmet	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Chainmail	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Breastplate	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Naval technology Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Absent	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Unknown	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Unknown	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Unknown	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Unknown	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Unknown	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Unknown	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Unknown	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Unknown	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Unknown	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Unknown	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Unknown	4000 BCE 3200 BCE
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Human Sacrifice Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic (pk_kachi_ca)

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