Home Region: Northeast Africa (Africa)

Egypt - Saite Period

664 BCE 525 BCE

D G SC WF R CC

EQ 2020 eg_saite / EgSaite

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

911 BCE 612 BCE Neo-Assyrian Empire (iq_neo_assyrian_emp) [secession]

Succeeding Entity:

No Polity found. Add one here.

General Description

If scholars are in disagreement over whether Egypt of the Kushite Empire experienced a period of centralized rule, this undoubtedly did occur during the Twenty-sixth Dynasty (664-525 BCE), ^[1] which has been called the ’Saite Renaissance’. The Saite kings, from their palace at Memphis, ^[2] gradually managed to construct a considerably more centralized state than that of the preceding period. ^[3] The high point of Saite power was the reign of Amasis II, whose administration commanded sufficient revenues to enable him to build a fleet to conquer Cyprus. ^[4] An important phenomenon of this period was the development of the Demotic script (from the Greek word demos, ’the people’), which originated in the delta but spread throughout Lower and Upper Egypt under Psamtik I and his successors. ^[5] Based on Hieratic, a cursive script using simplified Egyptian hieroglyphics, Demotic was useful in everyday contexts such as accounting, letter-writing and non-religious literature, which grew in importance during the period.
Population and political organization
Upper Egypt, which before the Kushites had long been ruled by a militarized priesthood, was always a difficult nut for the central administration in the Nile Delta to crack. At first, the main influence the Saites had over the Twenty-fifth Dynasty aristocracy at Thebes was through the priestly position of the God’s Wife of Amun. This was held by a Saite priestess at the Amun temple, and an observer (rsw) based in Thebes who was often called ’governor’. ^[6] ^[3] Established in the Kushite Period, the God’s Wife of Amun role was of ’very great and publicly acknowledged’ political importance. ^[7]
To increase their hold over Egypt, Saite strategy, under the first ruler Psamtik I, sought the removal of the nome system of administration; instead a military official was directly appointed to oversee the whole Southern Land (covering the region from Aswan to Memphis). ^[8] Named leader of the fleet and based in Herakleopolis, this official also acted as the ’revenue accountant for Middle and Upper Egypt’. ^[9] The Saite king ruled from Memphis, where there was a High Council of aristocrats who reported directly to him. ^[3] The vizier acted as the supreme judge of the realm. ^[10] In the Late Period, almost all officials were also priests ^[11] and oracles featured in the elections of officials and even of kings. ^[12] The military was usually led by the supreme chief of the expedition, ^[13] but under Amasis II the chief physician also occupied important military roles such as ’leader of the Aegean foreign (troops)’ and ’admiral of the royal fleet’. ^[14]
Theban Egypt was not brought under the effective control of the Memphite kings until Psamtik II’s campaign against the Kingdom of Napata between 592 and 591, which ended what had essentially been a ’period of compromise’ in Upper Egypt. ^[15] Before that time, Saite authority was so weak that they were forced to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Kushite pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. After Psamtik II’s military successes of the 590s, however, their policies changed and they began to portray the Nubian kings as usurpers. ^[16] With the Saite Dynasty now in a more powerful position, there was a return to the nome system of provincial organization, with governors once again stationed in the regions. ^[16] The title of leader of the fleet seems to disappear around this time, ^[9] and by 592 BCE Herakleopolis had a ’governor’.
Unfortunately, again, reliable population estimates at this time are difficult to find, but every indication suggests that the total population remained fairly steady at roughly three million people. ^[17]

[1]: (Lloyd 2000, 364) Alan B. Lloyd. 2000. ’The Late Period (664-332 BC)’, in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, edited by Ian Shaw, 364-87. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[2]: (Agut-Labordère 2013, 965-69) Damien Agut-Labordère. 2013. ’The Saite Period: The Emergence of A Mediterranean Power’, in Ancient Egyptian Administration, edited by Juan Carlos Moreno García, 965-1028. Leiden: Brill.

[3]: Joseph G. Manning 2015, personal communication.

[4]: (Agut-Labordère 2013, 986) Damien Agut-Labordère. 2013. ’The Saite Period: The Emergence of A Mediterranean Power’, in Ancient Egyptian Administration, edited by Juan Carlos Moreno García, 965-1028. Leiden: Brill.

[5]: (Donker van Heel 2012, 25-26) Konrad Donker van Heel. 2012. Djekhy & Son: Doing Business in Ancient Egypt. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.

[6]: (Agut-Labordère 2013, 978) Damien Agut-Labordère. 2013. ’The Saite Period: The Emergence of A Mediterranean Power’, in Ancient Egyptian Administration, edited by Juan Carlos Moreno García, 965-1028. Leiden: Brill.

[7]: (Van De Mieroop 2011, 275) Marc Van De Mieroop. 2011. A History of Ancient Egypt. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

[8]: (Agut-Labordère 2013, 981) Damien Agut-Labordère. 2013. ’The Saite Period: The Emergence of A Mediterranean Power’, in Ancient Egyptian Administration, edited by Juan Carlos Moreno García, 965-1028. Leiden: Brill.

[9]: (Agut-Labordère 2013, 981-83) Damien Agut-Labordère. 2013. ’The Saite Period: The Emergence of A Mediterranean Power’, in Ancient Egyptian Administration, edited by Juan Carlos Moreno García, 965-1028. Leiden: Brill.

[10]: (Agut-Labordère 2013, 974) Damien Agut-Labordère. 2013. ’The Saite Period: The Emergence of A Mediterranean Power’, in Ancient Egyptian Administration, edited by Juan Carlos Moreno García, 965-1028. Leiden: Brill.

[11]: (Baines 1991, 198) John Baines. 1991. ’Society, Morality, and Religious Practice’, in Religion in Ancient Egypt: Gods, Myths, and Personal Practice, edited by Byron Esely Shafer, John Baines, Leonard H. Lesko, David P. Silverman, 123-200. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

[12]: (Gee 2002, 83) John Gee. 2002. ’Oracle by Image: Coffin Text 103 in Context’, in Magic and Divination in the Ancient World, edited by Leda Jean Ciraolo and Jonathan Lee Seidel, 83-88. Leiden: Brill.

[13]: (Fischer-Bovet 2014, 29) Christelle Fischer-Bovet. 2014. Army and Society in Ptolemaic Egypt. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[14]: (Agut-Labordère 2013, 972) Damien Agut-Labordère. 2013. ’The Saite Period: The Emergence of A Mediterranean Power’, in Ancient Egyptian Administration, edited by Juan Carlos Moreno García, 965-1028. Leiden: Brill.

[15]: (Agut-Labordère 2013, 979-81) Damien Agut-Labordère. 2013. ’The Saite Period: The Emergence of A Mediterranean Power’, in Ancient Egyptian Administration, edited by Juan Carlos Moreno García, 965-1028. Leiden: Brill.

[16]: (Agut-Labordère 2013, 979) Damien Agut-Labordère. 2013. ’The Saite Period: The Emergence of A Mediterranean Power’, in Ancient Egyptian Administration, edited by Juan Carlos Moreno García, 965-1028. Leiden: Brill.

[17]: (Eyre 2010, 303) Christopher Eyre. 2010. ’The Economy: Pharaonic’, in A Companion to Ancient Egypt, edited by Alan B. Lloyd, 291-308. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

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

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

1 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

2 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 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

2 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

1 Crisis Consequence

Power Transitions Coding in Progress.

Instability Events

4 Instability Event

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite) was in:
(655 BCE 526 BCE)	Upper Egypt

Home NGA: Upper Egypt

General Variables

Identity and Location Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	36 R	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Original Name	Egypt - Saite Period	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Capital	Memphis	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Alternative Name	26th Dynasty	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Alternative Name	Manethonian Dynasty	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Alternative Name	Saite Renaissance	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Alternative Name	Saite Dynasty	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Temporal Bounds Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	550 BCE
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Duration	[664 BCE ➜ 525 BCE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	none	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Supracultural Entity	Egypt	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Succeeding Entity	Achaemenid Empire	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction	[250,000 to 500,000] km²	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	secession	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Preceding Entity 911 BCE 612 BCE	Neo-Assyrian Empire (iq_neo_assyrian_emp) [secession]
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Degree of Centralization	loose	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Degree of Centralization	unitary state	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Language Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Afro-Asiatic	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Language	Demotic	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Religion Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religion Genus	Egyptian Religions	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Alternate Religion	Uncoded Undecided	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	[25,000 to 75,000] people	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Polity Territory	[300,000 to 400,000] km²	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Polity Population	[1,800,000 to 2,500,000] people	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Hierarchical Complexity Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	[4 to 5]	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Religious Level	3	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Military Level	[6 to 8]	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Administrative Level	5	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Professions Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Professional Priesthood	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Professional Military Officer	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Merit Promotion	Present Inferred	664 BCE 571 BCE
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Merit Promotion	Absent Inferred	570 BCE 525 BCE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Examination System	Absent Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Law Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Absent Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Judge	Absent Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Formal Legal Code	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Court	Absent Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Irrigation System	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Food Storage Site	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Transport Infrastructure Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Port	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Canal	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Bridge	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Special-purpose Sites Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Information / Writing System Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Script	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Absent	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Nonwritten Record	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Sacred Text	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Religious Literature	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Practical Literature	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Philosophy	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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History	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Fiction	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Calendar	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Information / Money Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Precious Metal	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Paper Currency	Absent	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Indigenous Coin	Absent Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Foreign Coin	Absent Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Article	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Information / Postal System Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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General Postal Service	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Courier	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Information / Measurement System Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

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

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Moat	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Fortified Camp	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Earth Rampart	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Ditch	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Complex Fortification	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Long Wall	absent	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Military use of Metals Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Absent Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Iron	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Copper	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Bronze	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Projectiles Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Absent Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Sling	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Self Bow	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Javelin	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Crossbow	Absent	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Composite Bow	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Atlatl	Absent	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Handheld weapons Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Sword	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Spear	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Polearm	Absent	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Dagger	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Battle Axe	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Animals used in warfare Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Elephant	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Donkey	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Dog	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Camel	Present Uncertain	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Camel	Absent Uncertain	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Armor Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Shield	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Scaled Armor	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Plate Armor	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Limb Protection	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Leather Cloth	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Laminar Armor	Absent Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Helmet	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Chainmail	Absent Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Breastplate	Present Inferred	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Naval technology Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Unknown Suspected	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Present	664 BCE 525 BCE
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Human Sacrifice Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite)

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