Home Region: Turkestan (Central and Northern Eurasia)

Kara-Khanids

950 CE 1212 CE

D G SC WF

EQ 2020 kg_kara_khanid_dyn / KgKarKh

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

819 CE 999 CE Samanid Empire (uz_samanid_emp) [elite replacement]

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.

1037 CE 1157 CE Seljuk Sultanate (ir_seljuk_sultanate) [elite replacement]

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General Description

Karakhanids were a Buddhist nomadic tribe from Kashgar who converted to Islam sometime in the 950s CE ^[1] After their conversion, the Karakhanids "accepted the nominal authority of the Abbasid caliphs and directly or indirectly promoted the spread of Islam among the populace of Transoxania, Kashgar, and the Tarim basin." ^[2]
Starr (2013) describes their polity as "no state at all but a loose confederation of appendages, the ruling houses of which were linked by blood ties." ^[1] In the mid-11th century the state was formally divided into two separate Khanates, with Western and Eastern halves. ^[3]
Despite the decentralized system of government being the dominant characteristic of the Karakhanid Khanate, literature suggests there may have been a central government with a vizier ^[1] , and during the reign of Ibrahim in the mid-11th century "a single system of coinage with different denominations circulated throughout the Western Karakhanid Khanate, creating good, stable market conditions." ^[4]
Never entirely an independent polity, after the regress of the Abbasid Caliphate the Western Karakhanids became "dependent on the Seljuqs" who "placed on the Karakhanid throne in Samarkand whichever members of the dynasty they required. The vassal status of the Western Karakhanids is also reflected in the coinage, some of which bears the names of Seljuq sultans." ^[5]
Central Asia is considered to have reached its ’golden age’ in its civilizational achivement during the Karakhanid period. Davidovich describes the complexity of life in its populous cities, which may have exceeded 300,000 inhabitants:
"To the best of our knowledge, strenuous efforts were made to keep the towns clean. It was forbidden to throw rubbish into the streets and alleyways, which were considered to be public property. Deep wells for rubbish and sewage, covered by earthenware or wooden lids, were provided in private courtyards as well as in public places, houses and palaces, according to the archaeological evidence. Archaeologists have discovered ceramic water pipes and segments of paved streets and courtyards dating from the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Blown window glass was also in use at the time." ^[6]

[1]: (Starr 2013) Starr, S. Frederick. 2013. Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane. Princeton University Press. Princeton.

[2]: (Lapidus 2012, 230) Lapidus, Ira M. 2012. Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century: A Global History. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.

[3]: (Davidovich 1997, 144-145) Davidovich, E A. in Asimov, M S and Bosworth, C E eds. 1997. History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Volume IV. Part I. UNESCO.

[4]: (Davidovich 1997, 136) Davidovich, E A. in Asimov, M S and Bosworth, C E eds. 1997. History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Volume IV. Part I. UNESCO.

[5]: (Davidovich 1997, 138) Davidovich, E A. in Asimov, M S and Bosworth, C E eds. 1997. History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Volume IV. Part I. UNESCO.

[6]: (Davidovich 1997, 148) Davidovich, E A. in Asimov, M S and Bosworth, C E eds. 1997. History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Volume IV. Part I. UNESCO.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

5 Capital

1 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

3 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

2 Linguistic Family

2 Language

Religion

1 Religion Genus

1 Religion Family

1 Religion

1 Alternate Religion Genus

1 Alternate Religion Family

1 Alternate Religion

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

2 Population of the Largest Settlement

2 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

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

1 Fastest Individual Communication

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 Coding in Progress.

Instability Events Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn) was in:
(991 CE 1212 CE)	Sogdiana

Home NGA: Sogdiana

General Variables

Identity and Location Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	42 T	950 CE 1212 CE
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Original Name	Kara-Khanids	950 CE 1212 CE
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Capital	Balasagun	950 CE 1212 CE
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Capital	Samarkand	950 CE 1212 CE
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Capital	Kashgar	950 CE 1212 CE
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Capital	Bukhara	950 CE 1212 CE
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Capital	Suyab	950 CE 1212 CE
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Alternative Name	Karakhanids	950 CE 1212 CE
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Temporal Bounds Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	1068 CE
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Duration	[950 CE ➜ 1212 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	alliance with [---]	950 CE 1212 CE
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Suprapolity Relations	nominal allegiance to [---]	950 CE 1212 CE
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Suprapolity Relations	vassalage to [---]	950 CE 1212 CE
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Supracultural Entity	Perso-Islamic	950 CE 1212 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Khwarezmid Empire	950 CE 1212 CE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction	[3,000,000 to 3,500,000] km²	950 CE 1212 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	elite migration	950 CE 1212 CE
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Succeeding Entity 1037 CE 1157 CE	Seljuk Sultanate (ir_seljuk_sultanate) [elite replacement]
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Preceding Entity 819 CE 999 CE	Samanid Empire (uz_samanid_emp) [elite replacement]
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Degree of Centralization	confederated state	950 CE 1212 CE
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Language Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Afro-Asiatic	950 CE 1212 CE
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Linguistic Family	Turkic	950 CE 1212 CE
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Language	Arabic	950 CE 1212 CE
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Language	Turkic	950 CE 1212 CE
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Religion Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religion Genus	Islam	950 CE 1212 CE
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Religion Family	Sunni	950 CE 1212 CE
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Religion	Hanafi	950 CE 1212 CE
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Alternate Religion Genus	Islam	950 CE 1212 CE
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Alternate Religion Family	Sufi	950 CE 1212 CE
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Alternate Religion	Uncoded Undecided	950 CE 1212 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	200,000 people	1000 CE
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Population of the Largest Settlement	[200,000 to 400,000] people	1200 CE
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Polity Territory	2,000,000 km²	1000 CE
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Polity Territory	[1,300,000 to 1,500,000] km²	1200 CE
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Polity Population	2,500,000 people	1000 CE
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Polity Population	[2,000,000 to 2,500,000] people	1200 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	3	950 CE 1212 CE
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Religious Level	3	950 CE 1212 CE
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Military Level	6	950 CE 1212 CE
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Administrative Level	6	950 CE 1212 CE
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Professions Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Merit Promotion	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Examination System	Absent Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Law Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Judge	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Court	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Irrigation System	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Food Storage Site	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Port	Absent	950 CE 1212 CE
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Canal	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Bridge	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Information / Writing System Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Script	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent	950 CE 1212 CE
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Mnemonic Device	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Sacred Text	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Practical Literature	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Philosophy	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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History	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Fiction	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Calendar	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Information / Money Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Precious Metal	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Paper Currency	Absent Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Foreign Coin	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Article	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Information / Postal System Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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General Postal Service	Absent Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Courier	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Fastest Individual Communication	- Undecided	950 CE 1212 CE
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Information / Measurement System Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

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

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	950 CE 1212 CE
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Moat	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Fortified Camp	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Earth Rampart	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Ditch	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Complex Fortification	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Military use of Metals Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Iron	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Copper	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Bronze	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Projectiles Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	950 CE 1212 CE
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Sling	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Self Bow	Absent Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Javelin	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	950 CE 1212 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	950 CE 1212 CE
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Crossbow	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Composite Bow	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Atlatl	Absent	950 CE 1212 CE
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Handheld weapons Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Sword	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Spear	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Polearm	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Dagger	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Battle Axe	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Animals used in warfare Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Elephant	Absent Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Donkey	Present	950 CE 1212 CE
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Dog	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Camel	Absent Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Armor Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Shield	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Scaled Armor	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Plate Armor	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Limb Protection	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Laminar Armor	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Helmet	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Chainmail	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Breastplate	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Naval technology Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Absent	950 CE 1212 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present Inferred	950 CE 1212 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Unknown Suspected	950 CE 1212 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

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

Human Sacrifice Kara-Khanids (kg_kara_khanid_dyn)

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