Home Region: Afghanistan (Central and Northern Eurasia)

Hephthalite Empire

408 CE 561 CE

D G SC WF R

EQ 2020 af_hephthalite_emp / AfHepht

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General Description

The Hepthalites were one group of a series of nomadic tribal confederations that are sometimes referred to as the White Huns. The evidence seems to indicate that they were a second wave of Hunnish migration. ^[1] Despite the name, some scholars think the White Huns were in fact not a Turkic people, but rather the easternmost group of Iranian nomads. ^[2]
At their peak territorial coverage the Hephthalite lands may have enclosed 26 million people but most subjects likely had a great deal of autonomy. As a nomadic confederation, the Hepthalites may not have possessed a central administration, although evidence indicates at least the adoption of local administrations for the purposes of exacting tribute. ^[3] During the peak of their power, they seem to have become increasingly sedentary, and this may have increased the degree of centralization. Coins show Hephthalites practiced skull deformation ^[4] which may provide indirect evidence for strong social hierarchy and status competition.
Commentators at the time differed in their opinions as to what the structure of the group was and to what degree they differed from the other nomadic peoples of the area. The Byzantian commentator Procopius of Caesarea stressed that, ’They are not nomadic like the other Hunnish peoples, but have long since settled on fertile land.’ He further explained that unlike the other peoples of central asia, the Hepthalites were,’ruled by one king and possess a legal state structure, observing justice among themselves and with their neighbours in no lesser measure than the Byzantines and Persians.’ ^[1]

[1]: http://en.unesco.org/silkroad/sites/silkroad/files/knowledgebankarticle/vol_III%20silk%20road_the%20hephthalite%20empire%20BIS.pdf p. 140

[2]: Docherty, Paddy. The Khyber Pass: a history of empire and invasion. Union Square Press, 2008. p. 105

[3]: encyclopedia iranica vol. XII, HAREM I - ILLUMINATIONISM, 2004. Fasc. 2, pp. 198-201

[4]: (West 2009, 276) West, B A. 2009. Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania. Infobase Publishing.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

3 Capital

16 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

1 Relationship to preceding Entity

1 Polity Succession

2 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

1 Language

Religion

1 Religion Genus

1 Alternate Religion

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

1 Population of the Largest Settlement

2 Polity Territory

1 Polity Population

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

2 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

2 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

1 Non Phonetic Writing

1 Mnemonic Device

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Scientific Literature

2 Sacred Text

2 Religious Literature

1 Practical Literature

1 Philosophy

2 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

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

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

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

6 Power Transition

Instability Events Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp) was in:
(473 CE 496 CE)	Sogdiana
(496 CE 531 CE)	Sogdiana / Kachi Plain
(531 CE 563 CE)	Sogdiana

Home NGA: Sogdiana

General Variables

Identity and Location Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	42 N	408 CE 561 CE
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Original Name	Hepthalite Empire	408 CE 561 CE
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Capital	Balkh	408 CE 561 CE
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Capital	Pendjikent	408 CE 561 CE
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Capital	Sakala	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Hepthalite Huns	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Ye-Ta	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Cao	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Ephthalites	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Hayathelaites	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Hephtal	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	He-ta	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Hoa	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Hoa-Tun	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Hunas	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Iranian Huns	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	the people of Hua	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	White Huns	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Yeda	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Ye-tai	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternative Name	Ye-ti-i-li-do	408 CE 561 CE
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Temporal Bounds Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	[509 CE ➜ 522 CE]
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Duration	[408 CE ➜ 561 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	af_hephthalite_emp alliance with ir_sassanid_emp_1	408 CE 561 CE
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Supracultural Entity	Steppe nomads	408 CE 561 CE
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Succeeding Entity	First Turk Khaganate	408 CE 561 CE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction	[7,500,000 to 8,000,000] km²	408 CE 561 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	elite migration	408 CE 561 CE
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Preceding Entity	elite migration; Sassanid Empire I [elite replacement] Update here
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Degree of Centralization	nominal	408 CE 561 CE
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Degree of Centralization	confederated state	408 CE 561 CE
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Language Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Indo-European	408 CE 561 CE
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Language	Bactrian	408 CE 561 CE
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Religion Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religion Genus	Hephthalite Religions	408 CE 561 CE
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Alternate Religion	Uncoded Undecided	408 CE 561 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	- Undecided	408 CE 561 CE
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Polity Territory	1,000,000 km²	450 CE
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Polity Territory	[2,750,000 to 3,000,000] km²	500 CE
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Polity Population	26,500,000 people	500 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	[2 to 3]	408 CE 561 CE
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Religious Level	1	408 CE 561 CE
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Military Level	4	408 CE 561 CE
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Administrative Level	[4 to 5]	408 CE 561 CE
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Professions Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Merit Promotion	Absent Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Present Disputed	408 CE 561 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Absent Disputed	408 CE 561 CE
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Examination System	Absent	408 CE 561 CE
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Law Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Uncoded Undecided	408 CE 561 CE
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Judge	Uncoded Undecided	408 CE 561 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Uncoded Undecided	408 CE 561 CE
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Court	Uncoded Undecided	408 CE 561 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Irrigation System	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Food Storage Site	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Port	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Canal	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Bridge	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Information / Writing System Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Script	Absent	408 CE 487 CE
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Script	Present	488 CE 561 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent	408 CE 561 CE
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Mnemonic Device	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Sacred Text	Absent	408 CE 487 CE
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Sacred Text	Present	488 CE 561 CE
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Religious Literature	Absent	408 CE 487 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	488 CE 561 CE
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Practical Literature	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Philosophy	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Absent	408 CE 487 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Present	488 CE 561 CE
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History	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Fiction	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Calendar	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Information / Money Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Uncoded Undecided	408 CE 561 CE
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Precious Metal	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Paper Currency	Absent	408 CE 561 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Foreign Coin	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Article	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Information / Postal System Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Uncoded Undecided	408 CE 561 CE
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General Postal Service	Uncoded Undecided	408 CE 561 CE
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Courier	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Information / Measurement System Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

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

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	408 CE 561 CE
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Moat	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Fortified Camp	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Earth Rampart	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Ditch	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Complex Fortification	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Military use of Metals Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Iron	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Copper	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Bronze	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Projectiles Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	408 CE 561 CE
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Sling	Absent Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Self Bow	Absent Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Javelin	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	408 CE 561 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	408 CE 561 CE
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Crossbow	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Composite Bow	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Atlatl	Absent	408 CE 561 CE
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Handheld weapons Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Sword	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Spear	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Polearm	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Dagger	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Battle Axe	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Animals used in warfare Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Elephant	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Donkey	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Dog	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Camel	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Armor Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Shield	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Scaled Armor	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Plate Armor	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Limb Protection	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Laminar Armor	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Helmet	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Chainmail	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Breastplate	Present Inferred	408 CE 561 CE
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Naval technology Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Absent	408 CE 561 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present	408 CE 561 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Absent	408 CE 561 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Unknown Suspected	408 CE 561 CE
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Human Sacrifice Hephthalite Empire (af_hephthalite_emp)

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