General Description
The Mature Harappan culture, also known as the Indus Civilization, emerged around 2500 BCE and, from its core in the Indus and Saraswati Valleys, expanded to the Kachi plain and the Makran coast in the west, to Gujarat in the south, and to the foothills of the Himalayas and the northern borders of the Ganga-Yamuna Doab in the north and east. This civilization was characterized by the establishment of several large cities, most notably Mohenjo-daro, the largest of these centres and the one best positioned to control trade and communications throughout the region. Rather than being united by a single shared ideology, it appears that the Indus people had a wide range of beliefs and/or religions.
[1]
Around 1900 or 1800 BCE, the Indus Civilization began to decline, possibly due to environmental factors.
[2]
Population and political organization
There is no clear or explicit evidence for the existence of rulers during the Mature Harappan period, though archaeologists have suggested a number of different possible ways its cities - or perhaps its entire territory - may have been governed, ranging from heterarchy to theocracy.
[3]
Certainly the Harappans could boast a well developed bureaucracy, as suggested by seals, tablets, and other inscribed artefacts.
[4]
The scholarly literature does not appear to provide population estimates for the Indus Valley as a whole, but one source suggests a population of 100,000 for the largest Harappan city, Mohenjo-daro.
[5]
[1]: (McIntosh 2008, 83-84) 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.
[2]: (McIntosh 2008, 396-400) 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]: (McIntosh 2008, 391-92) 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.
[4]: (McIntosh 2008, 212) 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.
[5]: (McIntosh 2008, 214) 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.
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Indus Civilisation |
Kachi Plain - Urban Period II |
[1,000,000 to 1,500,000] km2 |
continuity |
Succeeding: Kachi Plain - Urban Period II (pk_kachi_urban_2) [continuity] | |
Preceding: Kachi Plain - Pre-Urban Period (pk_kachi_pre_urban) [continuity] |
quasi-polity |
Year Range | Kachi Plain - Urban Period I (pk_kachi_urban_1) was in: |
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(2500 BCE 2101 BCE) | Kachi Plain |
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Utm Zone | 42 R | Confident Expert | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Original Name | Kachi Plain - Urban Period I | Confident Expert | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Capital | unknown | Confident Expert | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Alternative Name | Mature Harappan | Confident Expert | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Suprapolity Relations | none | Confident Expert | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Supracultural Entity | Indus Civilisation | Confident Expert | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Succeeding Entity | Kachi Plain - Urban Period II | Confident Expert | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction | [1,000,000 to 1,500,000] km2 | Confident Expert | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Relationship to Preceding Entity | continuity | Confident Expert | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Succeeding Entity
2100 BCE 1800 BCE
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Kachi Plain - Urban Period II (pk_kachi_urban_2) [continuity] | Confident Expert | |||||||||
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Preceding Entity
3200 BCE 2500 BCE
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Kachi Plain - Pre-Urban Period (pk_kachi_pre_urban) [continuity] | Confident Expert | |||||||||
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Degree of Centralization | quasi-polity | Confident Expert | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More |
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Settlement Hierarchy | [3 to 4] | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Religious Level | 2 | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Military Level | [0 to 1] | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Administrative Level | [1 to 2] | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Specialized Government Building | Present | Inferred | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Merit Promotion | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Full Time Bureaucrat | Present | Inferred | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Examination System | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Mines or Quarry | Present | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Written Record | Present | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Script | Present | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing | Absent | Inferred | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Scientific Literature | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Sacred Text | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Religious Literature | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Practical Literature | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Philosophy | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Lists Tables and Classification | Present | Inferred | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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History | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Fiction | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Calendar | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Token | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Precious Metal | Present | Inferred | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Paper Currency | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Indigenous Coin | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Foreign Coin | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Article | Present | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Postal Station | Present | Inferred | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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General Postal Service | Present | Inferred | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Courier | Present | Inferred | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More |
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Wooden Palisade | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Stone Walls Non Mortared | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Stone Walls Mortared | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Modern Fortification | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Fortified Camp | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Earth Rampart | Unknown | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Complex Fortification | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Long Wall | absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Tension Siege Engine | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Sling Siege Engine | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Sling | Absent | Inferred | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Self Bow | Present | Confident Uncertain | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Self Bow | Absent | Confident Uncertain | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Javelin | Absent | Inferred | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Handheld Firearm | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Crossbow | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Composite Bow | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Atlatl | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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War Club | Present | Confident Uncertain | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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War Club | Absent | Confident Uncertain | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Sword | Present | Confident Uncertain | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Sword | Absent | Confident Uncertain | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Spear | Present | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Polearm | Absent | Inferred | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Dagger | Present | Confident Uncertain | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Dagger | Absent | Confident Uncertain | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Battle Axe | Present | Confident Uncertain | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Battle Axe | Absent | Confident Uncertain | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Horse | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Elephant | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Donkey | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Dog | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Camel | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Shield | Absent | Inferred | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Scaled Armor | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Plate Armor | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Limb Protection | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Leather Cloth | Unknown | Suspected | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Laminar Armor | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Helmet | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Chainmail | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Breastplate | Absent | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement is Broad | Unknown | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary | Unknown | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic | Unknown | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life | Unknown | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward | Unknown | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners | Unknown | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted | Unknown | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife | Unknown | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites | Unknown | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers | Unknown | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain | Unknown | Confident | 2500 BCE 2100 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More |
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