Home Region: Mongolia (Central and Northern Eurasia)

Late Xiongnu

60 BCE 100 CE

D G SC WF R

EQ 2020 mn_hunnu_late / MnXngnL

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

209 BCE 60 BCE Xiongnu Imperial Confederation (mn_hunnu_emp) [continuity]

Succeeding Entity:

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General Description

The Orkhon Valley lies either side of the Orkhon River, in north-central Mongolia. Between about 200 BCE and 100 CE, it was under the control of the Xiongnu Imperial Confederation.
This polity comprised several nomadic peoples from the Mongolian Steppe. By the 4th century BCE, the Xiongnu began raiding northern China, ^[1] where their mounted archery overwhelmed the heavily armed but relatively immobile Chinese infantry. ^[2] The nomads were held at bay by a combination of tribute in the form of metals, finished products, and agricultural products, and China’s numerical superiority. ^[3] ^[4] ^[5] Several Chinese victories against the Xiongnu in the 1st century BCE and factional conflict within the confederacy led to the confederacy’s breakup, and a new group of semi-nomadic peoples from the Northeast, the Xianbei, took control of the region. ^[1]
At their height, the Xiongnu ruled over an area that included all of Mongolia, extending to the Ordos region in the south, and the boreal forests of Siberia in the north, for a total of about 4,000,000 squared kilometres. ^[6]
Precise estimates could not be found for the empire’s population, but estimates suggest that nomads living to the north of China did not number more than 1,500,000, ^[7] and the best studied (but not the largest) settlement, Ivolga, likely had a population of between 2,500 and 3,000. ^[8] The empire was divided into three kingships: a central one, directly ruled by the paramount leader, and a "left" one and a "right" one, to the east and west, respectively, distributed among twenty-four regional leaders known as the "ten thousand horsemen". ^[9]

[1]: (Rogers 2012, 222)

[2]: (Marsh 2012, 500-501) Kevin Marsh. Xiongnu. Xiaobing Li ed. 2012. China at War: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. Santa Barbara.

[3]: (Barfield 1993, 157)

[4]: (Ying-Shih 1986)

[5]: (Dupuy and Dupuy 2007, 133)

[6]: (Rogers 2012, 220-221)

[7]: (Kradin 2011, 77)

[8]: (Kradin 2011, 85)

[9]: (Rogers 2012, 220)

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Original Name

2 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

2 Suprapolity Relations

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Relationship to preceding 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

1 Polity Population

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

1 Religious Level

1 Military Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

1 Professional Soldier

1 Professional Priesthood

1 Professional Military Officer

Bureaucracy Characteristics

1 Specialized Government Building

1 Merit Promotion

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

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

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

2 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

12 Instability Event

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late) was in:
(59 BCE 99 CE)	Orkhon Valley

Home NGA: Orkhon Valley

General Variables

Identity and Location Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Original Name	Late Xiongnu	60 BCE 100 CE
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Alternative Name	Late Hsiung-nu	60 BCE 100 CE
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Alternative Name	Northern Xiongnu	60 BCE 100 CE
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Temporal Bounds Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Duration	[60 BCE ➜ 100 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	cn_eastern_han_dyn alliance with mn_hunnu_late	25 CE 220 CE
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Suprapolity Relations	cn_western_han_dyn alliance with mn_hunnu_late	202 BCE 9 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Xianbei Confederation	60 BCE 100 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	continuity	60 BCE 100 CE
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Preceding Entity 209 BCE 60 BCE	Xiongnu Imperial Confederation (mn_hunnu_emp) [continuity]
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Degree of Centralization	confederated state	60 BCE 100 CE
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Language Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Turkic	60 BCE 100 CE
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Language	Xiongnu	60 BCE 100 CE
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Religion Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religion Genus	Xiongnu Religions	60 BCE 100 CE
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Alternate Religion	Uncoded Undecided	60 BCE 100 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	[3,000 to 5,000] people	60 BCE 100 CE
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Polity Territory	[3,000,000 to 4,200,000] km²	60 BCE 100 CE
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Polity Population	[1,000,000 to 1,500,000] people	60 BCE 100 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	[2 to 3]	60 BCE 100 CE
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Religious Level	1	60 BCE 100 CE
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Military Level	6	60 BCE 100 CE
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Administrative Level	[3 to 4]	60 BCE 100 CE
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Professions Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Merit Promotion	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Examination System	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Law Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Judge	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Present Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Court	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Irrigation System	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Food Storage Site	Present Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Port	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Canal	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Bridge	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

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

Information / Writing System Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Script	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Present Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Mnemonic Device	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Sacred Text	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Religious Literature	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Practical Literature	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Philosophy	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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History	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Fiction	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Calendar	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Information / Money Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Precious Metal	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Paper Currency	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Foreign Coin	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Article	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Information / Postal System Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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General Postal Service	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Courier	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Information / Measurement System Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

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

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Moat	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Fortified Camp	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Earth Rampart	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Ditch	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Complex Fortification	Present Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Long Wall	unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Military use of Metals Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Iron	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Copper	Present Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Bronze	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Projectiles Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Sling	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Self Bow	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Javelin	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Crossbow	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Composite Bow	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Atlatl	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Handheld weapons Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Sword	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Spear	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Polearm	Present Inferred Disputed	60 BCE 100 CE
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Polearm	Absent Disputed	60 BCE 100 CE
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Dagger	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Battle Axe	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Animals used in warfare Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Elephant	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Donkey	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Dog	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Camel	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Armor Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Shield	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Scaled Armor	Present Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Plate Armor	Present Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Limb Protection	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Laminar Armor	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Helmet	Present	60 BCE 100 CE
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Chainmail	Present Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Breastplate	Unknown Suspected	60 BCE 100 CE
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Naval technology Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Absent	60 BCE 100 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Absent Inferred	60 BCE 100 CE
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Human Sacrifice Late Xiongnu (mn_hunnu_late)

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