Home Region: North China (East Asia)

Sui Dynasty

581 CE 618 CE

D G SC WF R CC

EQ 2020 cn_sui_dyn / CnSui**

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

[continuity; Northern Zhou] [continuity] Update here

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.

617 CE 763 CE Tang Dynasty I (cn_tang_dyn_1) [continuity]

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General Description

China was reunified after the Northern and Southern dynasties period by the short-lived Sui dynasty (581-618 CE). The first Sui emperor Yang Jian dethroned the Northern Zhou emperor and conquered the southern Chen dynasty.^[1] The Sui were able to unify China but did not create a stable, lasting imperial house.^[2] The second Sui emperor Yangdi is villainized for his extravagant spending and endless military campaigns. Yangdi undertook massive infrastructure projects including the fortification of the Great Wall, and the construction of a third capital at Jiangdu, and the Grand Canal. He also conducted many military campaigns including multiple attempts to conquer the Korean Peninsula. ^[1] His overuse of conscripted corvee labor coupled with natural disasters led to famine, and the dynasty was overthrown by massive peasant rebellions and revolts by nobles after only 37 years of rule.^[3] Sui construction of infrastructure and government reforms paved the way for the lasting rule of the Tang.^[2]
The Sui territory encompassed 3 million square kilometers in 581.^[4] The 2,500 km (5,000 li) Grand Canal supplied the Sui capitals of Luoyang, Chang’an and Jiangdu with grain from the lower Yangtze area, running from the eastern capital of Luoyang to present-day Beijing and Hangzhou.^[3] The Sui sphere of influence reached Chinese Turkestan, Champa, and Formosa.^[5]
Population and political organization
The Sui’s administrative reforms abolished all fiefdoms and set up a prefecture system. The examination and military system were reformed. ^[1] Yang Jian reestablished Han Confucian government rituals, and reformed Chinas’ penal code and administrative laws.^[6]
The Sui population was recorded as 46 million in a 609 CE census. However, some modern scholars believe that this number is too low.^[5]

[1]: (Theobald 2000) Theobald, U. 2000. Sui Dynasty (581-618). Chinaknowledge.de. http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Tang/sui.html Accessed June 15, 2017. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/GR73VWI9

[2]: (Theobald 2000) Theobald, U. 2000. Sui Dynasty (581-618). Chinaknowledge.de.http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Tang/sui.html Accessed June 15, 2017. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/GR73VWI9

[3]: (Editorial Committee of Chinese Civilization 2007, 62) Editorial Committee of Chinese Civilization (eds.) 2007. China: Five Thousand Years of History and Civilization. Hong Kong: City University of Hong Kong Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/V6V8BAE4

[4]: (Chase-Dunn spreadsheet)

[5]: (Tuan 2008, 94) Tuan, Yi-Fu. 2008. A Historical Geography of China. London: Aldine Transactions. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/GTTWMMF5

[6]: “Sui dynasty.” Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sui-dynasty Accessed June 16, 2017. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/RPPSPKUR

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

2 Capital

1 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

2 Suprapolity Relations

1 Supracultural Entity

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Scale of Supracultural Interaction

1 Relationship to preceding Entity

2 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

1 Language

Religion

1 Religion Genus

1 Religion Family

1 Alternate Religion Genus

1 Alternate Religion Family

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

2 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

1 Entertainment Building

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

1 Mnemonic Device

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

1 Long Wall

Military use of Metals

1 Steel

1 Iron

1 Copper

1 Bronze

Projectiles

1 Tension Siege Engine

2 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

1 Crisis Consequence

Power Transitions

3 Power Transition

Instability Events

8 Instability Event

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn) was in:
(581 CE 617 CE)	Middle Yellow River Valley

Home NGA: Middle Yellow River Valley

General Variables

Identity and Location Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	50 S	581 CE 618 CE
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Original Name	Sui Dynasty	581 CE 618 CE
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Capital	Daxingcheng	581 CE 618 CE
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Capital	Luoyang	581 CE 618 CE
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Alternative Name	Sui Empire	581 CE 618 CE
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Temporal Bounds Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	609 CE
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Duration	[581 CE ➜ 618 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	mn_turk_khaganate_2 alliance with cn_sui_dyn	682 CE 744 CE
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Suprapolity Relations	none	581 CE 618 CE
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Supracultural Entity	Chinese	581 CE 618 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Early Tang	581 CE 618 CE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction	[3,000,000 to 4,000,000] km²	581 CE 618 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	continuity	581 CE 618 CE
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Succeeding Entity 617 CE 763 CE	Tang Dynasty I (cn_tang_dyn_1) [continuity] Expert
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Preceding Entity	continuity; Northern Zhou [continuity] Update here
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Degree of Centralization	unitary state	581 CE 618 CE
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Language Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Sino-Tibetan	581 CE 618 CE
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Language	Chinese	581 CE 618 CE
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Religion Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religion Genus	Chinese State Religion	581 CE 618 CE
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Religion Family	Imperial Confucian Traditions	581 CE 618 CE
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Alternate Religion Genus	Buddhism	581 CE 618 CE
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Alternate Religion Family	Chinese Buddhist Traditions	581 CE 618 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	500,000 people	600 CE
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Polity Territory	[3,000,000 to 3,100,000] km²	600 CE
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Polity Population	46,000,000 people	600 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	[3 to 5]	581 CE 618 CE
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Religious Level	3	581 CE 618 CE
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Military Level	6	581 CE 618 CE
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Administrative Level	5	581 CE 618 CE
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Professions Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present Inferred Disputed	581 CE 618 CE
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Professional Soldier	Absent Inferred Disputed	581 CE 618 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Absent Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Merit Promotion	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Examination System	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Law Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Judge	Absent	581 CE 618 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Court	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Irrigation System	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Food Storage Site	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Absent Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Entertainment Building	Uncoded Undecided	581 CE 618 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Port	Uncoded Undecided	581 CE 618 CE
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Canal	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Bridge	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Information / Writing System Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Script	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Absent	581 CE 618 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Mnemonic Device	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Sacred Text	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Practical Literature	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Philosophy	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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History	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Fiction	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Calendar	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Information / Money Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Uncoded Undecided	581 CE 618 CE
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Precious Metal	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Paper Currency	Absent Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Foreign Coin	Uncoded Undecided	581 CE 618 CE
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Article	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Information / Postal System Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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General Postal Service	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Courier	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Information / Measurement System Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

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

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Absent	581 CE 618 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Absent	581 CE 618 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	581 CE 618 CE
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Moat	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Fortified Camp	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Earth Rampart	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Ditch	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Complex Fortification	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Long Wall	2,414 km	581 CE 618 CE
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Military use of Metals Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Iron	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Copper	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Bronze	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Projectiles Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Present Disputed	581 CE 618 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent Disputed	581 CE 618 CE
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Sling	Absent Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Self Bow	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Javelin	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	581 CE 618 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	581 CE 618 CE
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Crossbow	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Composite Bow	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Atlatl	Absent Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Handheld weapons Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Sword	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Spear	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Polearm	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Dagger	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Battle Axe	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Animals used in warfare Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Elephant	Absent Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Donkey	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Dog	Absent	581 CE 618 CE
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Camel	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Armor Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Shield	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Scaled Armor	Absent Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Plate Armor	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Limb Protection	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Laminar Armor	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Helmet	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Chainmail	Absent Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Breastplate	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Naval technology Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Present Inferred	581 CE 618 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Absent	581 CE 618 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Present	581 CE 618 CE
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Human Sacrifice Sui Dynasty (cn_sui_dyn)

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