Home Region: Anatolia-Caucasus (Southwest Asia)

Kingdom of Lydia

670 BCE 546 BCE

D G SC WF R

EQ 2020 tr_lydia_k / TrLydia

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

[Konya Plain - Cimmerian Period] [None] Update here

Succeeding Entity:

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General Description

One of a number of small kingdoms in Anatolia, the Kingdom of Lydia under the Mermnad dynasty (670-546 BCE), which began with the rule of king Gyges and ended with Croesus in the 540s BCE, came to dominate Anatolia after the conquest of Phrygia. Blessed with a rich supply of minable electrum, the natural alloy of silver and gold, Lydia is most famous for being the likely birthplace of coinage. ^[1]
Like Phrygia archaeologists lack detailed understanding of Lydian government but they believe the rulers ruled from a Palace citadel above the capital Sardis. Some areas under Lydian control were directly ruled through appointments made by the kings: for example, Alyattes appointed his son Croesus as governor of Adramyttetion, northwest of Lydia, when Cimmerians were causing trouble there. However, the Greek city states attacked by Mermnad kings, whom were required to pay tribute, were generally never under Lydian control for long. ^[1]
The 650 BCE and 500 BCE period was characterized by the expansion of an integrated Mediterranean trading zone ^[2] and it seems that pragmatic deal-making to preserve this economic system often characterized Lydian relations with other states.
The most immediate threat appears to have been the nomadic Cimmerians who initially were expelled ^[3] which at times lead to an alliance with Assyria ^[4] which also became an enemy that required an alliance with Egypt. ^[3]
Lydia kings often utilised marriages to secure alliances with many foreign powers, including the Persian Medians as well as Greek Ionians and Carians and the tyrant of Ephesus. ^[1]

[1]: (Roosevelt 2012, 897-913) C H Roosevelt. 2012. Iron Age Western Anatolia. In Potts, D.T. (ed.) A Companion to the Archaeology of the Near East. London: Blackwell.

[2]: (Broodbank 2015, 508-509) Cyrprian Broodbank. 2015. The Making of the Middle Sea. Thames & Hudson. London.

[3]: (Leverani 2014, 544) Mario Liverani. Soraia Tabatabai trans. 2014. The Ancient Near East. History, society and economy. Routledge. London.

[4]: (Leverani 2014, 495) Mario Liverani. Soraia Tabatabai trans. 2014. The Ancient Near East. History, society and economy. Routledge. London.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

1 Capital

4 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

2 Suprapolity Relations

1 Supracultural Entity

1 Polity Succession

1 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

1 Polity Territory

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

1 Religious Level

1 Military Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

1 Professional Soldier

1 Professional Priesthood

2 Professional Military Officer

Bureaucracy Characteristics

1 Specialized Government Building

1 Full Time Bureaucrat

Law

1 Formal Legal Code

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

Transport Infrastructure

1 Road

1 Port

Special-purpose Sites

1 Mines or Quarry

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

1 Non Phonetic Writing

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Scientific Literature

1 Religious Literature

1 Practical Literature

1 Philosophy

1 Lists Tables and Classification

1 History

1 Fiction

1 Calendar

Information / Money

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

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

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	Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k) was in:
(670 BCE 547 BCE)	Konya Plain

Home NGA: Konya Plain

General Variables

Identity and Location Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	35 S	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Original Name	Kingdom of Lydia	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Capital	Sardis	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Alternative Name	Mermnad dynasty	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Alternative Name	Maeonia	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Alternative Name	Luddi	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Alternative Name	Lydian Empire	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Temporal Bounds Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	560 BCE
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Duration	[670 BCE ➜ 546 BCE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	personal union with [---]	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Suprapolity Relations	alliance with [---]	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Supracultural Entity	Achaemenid Empire	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Preceding Entity	Konya Plain - Cimmerian Period [None] Update here
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Degree of Centralization	confederated state	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Language Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Indo-European	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Language	Lydian	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Religion Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religion Genus	Lydian Religions	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Alternate Religion	Uncoded Undecided	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	[6,000 to 24,000] people	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Polity Territory	250,000 km²	600 BCE
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Hierarchical Complexity Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	[3 to 5]	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Religious Level	[3 to 4]	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Military Level	[4 to 7]	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Administrative Level	[4 to 5]	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Professions Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Professional Priesthood	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Professional Military Officer	Present Disputed	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Professional Military Officer	Absent Disputed	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Law Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Formal Legal Code	Uncoded Undecided	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

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

Transport Infrastructure Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Port	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Special-purpose Sites Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Information / Writing System Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Script	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Religious Literature	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Practical Literature	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Philosophy	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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History	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Fiction	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Calendar	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Information / Money Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Precious Metal	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Paper Currency	Absent	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Indigenous Coin	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Foreign Coin	Absent Inferred	600 BCE
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Article	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Information / Postal System Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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General Postal Service	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Courier	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Information / Measurement System Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

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

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Moat	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Fortified Camp	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Earth Rampart	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Ditch	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Complex Fortification	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Long Wall	unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Military use of Metals Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Absent	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Iron	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Copper	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Bronze	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Projectiles Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Absent	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Sling	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Self Bow	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Javelin	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Crossbow	Absent Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Composite Bow	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Atlatl	Absent	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Handheld weapons Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Sword	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Spear	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Polearm	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Dagger	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Battle Axe	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Animals used in warfare Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Elephant	Absent	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Donkey	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Dog	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Camel	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Armor Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Shield	Present	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Scaled Armor	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Plate Armor	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Limb Protection	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Leather Cloth	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Laminar Armor	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Helmet	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Chainmail	Absent	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Breastplate	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Naval technology Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Unknown Suspected	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Absent Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Absent Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Unknown	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Absent Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Absent Inferred	670 BCE 546 BCE
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Human Sacrifice Kingdom of Lydia (tr_lydia_k)

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