Home Region: Southern Europe (Europe)

Exarchate of Ravenna

568 CE 751 CE

D G SC WF R

EQ 2020 it_ravenna_exarchate / ItRav**

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

395 CE 631 CE East Roman Empire (tr_east_roman_emp) [continuity]

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.

752 CE 904 CE Republic of St Peter I (it_st_peter_rep_1) [vassalage]

General Description

We begin our Exarchate of Ravenna polity in 568 CE, the date of the last praetorian prefect in Italy, although the first ’exarch’ (essentially a governor with political and military authority) known by name dates to the last decades of the 6th century. ^[1] This year saw Lombard and Germanic tribes invade northern Italy, expelling the Byzantine influence in the area which the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (r. 527-565 CE) had established only about a decade earlier. The Exarchate of Ravenna together with most of central Italy and parts of the south were the only parts of the former Ostrogothic Kingdom to remain under Byzantine authority after this time. Shortly afterwards, perhaps around 575 CE or slightly later, the first exarch of Ravenna was created under the aegis of the Byzantine emperor. ^[2] The Exarchate period ended when the last exarch, Eutychius, was killed during the Lombard conquest of the territory in 751 CE. However, recognition of the nominal Byzantine authority in the region persisted until 781 CE, when the years of the emperor’s reign were no longer used for dating papal documents or on the coins minted in Rome. ^[3]
Population and political organization
The Exarchate of Ravenna was essentially a special province of the East Roman Empire and the exarch owed nominal allegiance to the emperor in Constantinople. The Roman Senate was last known operating in 580 CE ^[4] and many of the senators moved to Constantinople ’to maintain access to court appointments’. ^[4] In Italy, Ravenna was the undisputed home and capital for the army and civil administration. ^[5]
The exarch was a ruler who combined civil and military powers, ^[6] commanding over 50,000 square kilometres of land in Italy after a period of protracted warfare had destroyed the Roman-friendly Ostrogothic governmental system. ^[4] His duties included leading the army in Italy, publishing and enforcing laws and canons of church councils, and appointing most subordinate officials. ^[1] Exarchs were appointed by the East Roman Emperor from among the personnel of his palace administration in Constantinople ’and rarely had served in any capacity in Italy before being named exarch’. ^[1] The criteria for choosing exarchs is not entirely clear, nor is it certain how long they might have expected their official tenure to last. ^[6] What is clear is that the exarch retained a great deal of authority and autonomy in the region.
Under the exarch, dukes of provinces ruled from cities (e.g. Rome, Naples, Rimini, Venice) and tribunes governed in towns. Like the exarch himself, the role of dukes and tribunes combined both military and civic duties. However, these men, ’along with the lower-level officers and troops, administrators, clerks, and tax collectors were drawn primarily from the local population, including educated laymen, although on occasion an official might be sent from Constantinople’. ^[7] Ravenna was governed both directly by the exarchal administration ^[7] and, until the mid-7th century, a city council (curia) responsible for tax collection and certifying and storing legal documents. ^[8] Decentralization from 600 to 750 CE weakened the authority of the exarch, ^[9] and as government collapsed, the dukes in the provinces gained power. ^[10] The 7th century CE saw the development of an ’increasingly closed and hereditary land and officeholding aristocracy’. ^[11]
Another important rival of the exarch’s authority was the archbishop of Ravenna. The exarch worked with the archbishop of Ravenna ’in legal cases, foreign affairs, papal relations, and other similar sorts of situations’, ^[12] but sometimes they clashed on ’doctrinal matters’. ^[13] The Church also financed public works projects, such as building churches and public baths. ^[14]
Italy experienced a slight population expansion during this period, and had perhaps over one million inhabitants. ^[15]

[1]: (Noble 1984, 4) Thomas F. X. Noble. 1984. The Republic of St. Peter: The Birth of the Papal State, 680-825. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

[2]: (Nicol 1988, 5) Donald M. Nicol. 1988. Byzantium and Venice: A Study in Diplomatic and Cultural Relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[3]: (Grierson and Blackburn 2007, 259) P. Grierson and M. Blackburn. 2007. Medieval European Coinage, Volume 1: The Early Middle Ages (5th-10th Centuries). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[4]: (Deliyannis 2010, 207) Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis. 2010. Ravenna in Late Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[5]: (Deliyannis 2010, 207-10) Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis. 2010. Ravenna in Late Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[6]: (Deliyannis 2010, 208) Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis. 2010. Ravenna in Late Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[7]: (Deliyannis 2010, 286-87) Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis. 2010. Ravenna in Late Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[8]: (Deliyannis 2010, 208, 286-87) Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis. 2010. Ravenna in Late Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[9]: (Deliyannis 2010, 278) Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis. 2010. Ravenna in Late Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[10]: (Deliyannis 2010, 287) Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis. 2010. Ravenna in Late Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[11]: (Noble 1984, 7) Thomas F. X. Noble. 1984. The Republic of St. Peter: The Birth of the Papal State, 680-825. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

[12]: (Deliyannis 2010, 210, 287) Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis. 2010. Ravenna in Late Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[13]: (Brown 1979, 26) T. S. Brown. 1979. ’The Church of Ravenna and the Imperial Administration in the Seventh Century’. The English Historical Review 94 (370): 1-28.

[14]: (Deliyannis 2010, 201) Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis. 2010. Ravenna in Late Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[15]: (Noble 1984, 8) Thomas F. X. Noble. 1984. The Republic of St. Peter: The Birth of the Papal State, 680-825. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

1 Capital

2 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Suprapolity Relations

1 Supracultural Entity

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Relationship to preceding Entity

2 Polity Succession

3 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

2 Language

Religion

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

2 Population of the Largest Settlement

1 Polity Territory

2 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

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

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

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

21 Power Transition

Instability Events

17 Instability Event

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate) was in:
(568 CE 710 CE)	Latium

Home NGA: Latium

General Variables

Identity and Location Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	33 T	568 CE 751 CE
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Original Name	Exarchate of Ravenna	568 CE 751 CE
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Capital	Ravenna	568 CE 751 CE
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Alternative Name	Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna	568 CE 751 CE
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Alternative Name	Byzantine Exarchate	568 CE 751 CE
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Temporal Bounds Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	640 CE
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Duration	[568 CE ➜ 751 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	it_ravenna_exarchate vassalage to tr_byzantine_emp_1	568 CE 751 CE
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Supracultural Entity	Roman	568 CE 751 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Republic of St Peter	568 CE 751 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	continuity	568 CE 751 CE
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Preceding Entity 395 CE 631 CE	East Roman Empire (tr_east_roman_emp) [continuity]
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Succeeding Entity 752 CE 904 CE	Republic of St Peter I (it_st_peter_rep_1) [vassalage]
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Degree of Centralization	nominal	568 CE 751 CE
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Degree of Centralization	loose	568 CE 751 CE
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Degree of Centralization	confederated state	568 CE 751 CE
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Language Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Indo-European	568 CE 751 CE
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Language	Latin	568 CE 751 CE
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Language	Greek	568 CE 751 CE
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Religion Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

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

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	30,000 people	600 CE
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Population of the Largest Settlement	[100,000 to 125,000] people	700 CE
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Polity Territory	50,000 km²	568 CE 751 CE
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Polity Population	1,000,000 people	600 CE
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Polity Population	1,250,000 people	700 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	6	568 CE 751 CE
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Religious Level	5	568 CE 751 CE
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Military Level	[4 to 5]	568 CE 751 CE
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Administrative Level	[5 to 6]	568 CE 751 CE
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Professions Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Absent Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Merit Promotion	Absent Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Examination System	Absent Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Law Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Judge	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Court	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Irrigation System	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Food Storage Site	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Port	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Canal	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Bridge	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Information / Writing System Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Script	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Sacred Text	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Practical Literature	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Philosophy	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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History	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Fiction	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Calendar	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Information / Money Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Uncoded Undecided	568 CE 751 CE
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Precious Metal	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Paper Currency	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Foreign Coin	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Article	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Information / Postal System Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Absent Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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General Postal Service	Absent Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Courier	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Information / Measurement System Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

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

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Moat	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Fortified Camp	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Earth Rampart	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Ditch	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Complex Fortification	Unknown	568 CE 751 CE
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Military use of Metals Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Iron	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Copper	Unknown	568 CE 751 CE
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Bronze	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Projectiles Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Unknown	568 CE 751 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Sling	Unknown	568 CE 751 CE
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Self Bow	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Javelin	Unknown	568 CE 751 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Crossbow	Unknown	568 CE 751 CE
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Composite Bow	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Atlatl	Unknown	568 CE 751 CE
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Handheld weapons Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Sword	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Spear	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Polearm	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Dagger	Present Inferred	568 CE 751 CE
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Battle Axe	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Animals used in warfare Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Elephant	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Donkey	Unknown	568 CE 751 CE
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Dog	Unknown	568 CE 751 CE
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Camel	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Armor Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Shield	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Scaled Armor	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Plate Armor	Unknown	568 CE 751 CE
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Limb Protection	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Laminar Armor	Unknown	568 CE 751 CE
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Helmet	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Chainmail	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Breastplate	Unknown	568 CE 751 CE
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Naval technology Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Absent	568 CE 751 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Present	568 CE 751 CE
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Human Sacrifice Exarchate of Ravenna (it_ravenna_exarchate)

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