Home Region: Northeast Africa (Africa)

Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period

868 CE 969 CE

D G SC WF R

EQ 2020 eg_thulunid_ikhshidid / EgTulIk

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

750 CE 946 CE Abbasid Caliphate I (iq_abbasid_cal_1) [continuity]

Succeeding Entity:

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General Description

Egypt in the years between 868 and 969 CE is notable for frequent changes in rulers, including three separate regimes in just over a century: the Tulunid Dynasty, the Abbasid Restoration Period, and the Ikshidid Dynasty, which eventually gave way to the Fatimid Caliphate. The Tulunids were a Turkic Dynasty who established an independent rule over Egypt and parts of Syria during a time of instability caused by infighting in the Abbasid court in Damascus. There was a notable ’flowering’ of the arts under the Tulunid rulers, ^[1] but the highs and lows of this era of instability are best encapsulated by the reign of Khumarawayh. Although Egypt saw ’peace and prosperity’ under his rule, it has been argued that his extravagant lifestyle and ’lavish’ spending on building projects and the maintenance of a large standing army ’overtaxed the state’s resources’. ^[2] ’When Khumarawayh was murdered by one of his slaves in 896, the treasury was reportedly empty’. ^[2]
Population and political organization
Egypt during the Tulunid-Ikshidid period has been described as ’an autonomous state, albeit under Abbasid suzerainty’. ^[1] When Ahmad ibn Tulun was appointed prefect or governor of Egypt in 868 CE, it was a province of the Abbasid Caliphate. Tulun, who was of Turkish ancestry, was recruited from the military ^[3] ^[4] and ’never formally repudiated Abbasid authority’. ^[3] He took advantage of a revolt in Palestine and Syria to build up a new Egyptian army of Turkish, Nubian, and Greek mercenaries and slaves, which he paid for by seizing control of the revenue of Egypt from the Abbasid-appointed financial director in 871 CE. ^[2] Ibn Tulun also annexed Syria. ^[5]
With his new army and the Abbasids distracted by unrest in the Levant, Ibn Tulun worked to increase Egyptian autonomy from the caliph in Baghdad; ^[2] he stopped sending taxes to the Abbasids and established a new capital at al-Qatai, at the neck of the Nile Delta near Fustat. ^[4] This de facto arrangement became official in 886 CE, when a treaty with the Abbasid Dynasty decreed that Khumarawayh and his successors would govern Egypt for a term of three decades ^[2] - although Egypt would in fact be under Abbasid control again from 905 to 935 CE. ^[6] After the Ikshidids gained control of Egypt under Muhammad ibn Tughj (935‒946 CE), ^[2] the Abbasids, in a similar treaty in 939 CE, granted the governorship of Egypt and Syria to ’the Ikshid and his heirs’ for 30 years. ^[2]
The Tulunid governing apparatus included a vizier, ^[7] who, after the administrative reforms of Ibn Tulun, ^[5] apparently ran a competent bureaucracy that oversaw huge spending projects. Ibn Tulun built an aqueduct and a maristan (hospital), which cost 60,000 dinars. ^[1] Founded in 873 CE, the hospital was the first of its kind in Egypt. There was probably a functioning postal system (the Egyptian section of the Abbasid barid). Luxuries were never far away for the affluent elites, who spent their riches freely: Khumarawayh converted the maydan (city square) into a lush garden in the Mesopotamian tradition, while in the Ikshidid period Kafur’s palace near the Birkat Qarun cost a monumental 100,000 dinars. ^[8]
The population of Egypt and the Levant at this time may have totalled 6.5 million, ^[9] and the largest city, Fustat in Egypt, had perhaps 150,000 residents. ^[10]

[1]: (Raymond 2000, 26) André Raymond. 2000. Cairo. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

[2]: (Sundelin 2004) Lennart Sundelin. 2004. ’Egypt: Tulunids and Ikhshidids, 850-969’, in Encyclopedia of African History, edited by K. Shillington. Online edition. London: Routledge.

[3]: (Raymond 2000, 24) André Raymond. 2000. Cairo. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

[4]: (Middleton, ed. 2015, 966) J. Middleton, ed. 2015. World Monarchies and Dynasties. London: Routledge.

[5]: (Esposito, ed. 2003, 130) John L. Esposito, ed. 2003. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[6]: (Raymond 2000, 34) André Raymond. 2000. Cairo. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

[7]: (Raymond 2000, 35) André Raymond. 2000. Cairo. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

[8]: (Raymond 2000, 27, 34) André Raymond. 2000. Cairo. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

[9]: (McEvedy and Jones 1978, 138, 229) Colin McEvedy and Richard Jones. 1978. Atlas of World Population History. London: Allen Lane.

[10]: (Modelski 2003, 55) George Modelski. 2003. World Cities -3000 to 2000. Washington, DC: Faros.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

2 Capital

4 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

1 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

1 Language

Religion

1 Religion Genus

1 Religion Family

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

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

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

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	Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid) was in:
(868 CE 969 CE)	Upper Egypt

Home NGA: Upper Egypt

General Variables

Identity and Location Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	36 R	868 CE 969 CE
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Original Name	Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period	868 CE 969 CE
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Capital	Fustat	868 CE 969 CE
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Capital	Al-Qatai	868 CE 969 CE
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Alternative Name	Abbasid Caliphate	868 CE 969 CE
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Alternative Name	Egypt - Tulunid-Abbasid-Ikhshidid Period	868 CE 969 CE
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Alternative Name	Tulunid Dynasty	868 CE 969 CE
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Alternative Name	Ikhshidid Dynasty	868 CE 969 CE
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Temporal Bounds Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	895 CE
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Duration	[868 CE ➜ 969 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	none	868 CE 969 CE
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Suprapolity Relations	vassalage to [---]	868 CE 969 CE
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Supracultural Entity	Islam	868 CE 969 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Fatimid Caliphate	868 CE 969 CE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction	11,000,000 km²	868 CE 969 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	continuity	868 CE 969 CE
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Preceding Entity 750 CE 946 CE	Abbasid Caliphate I (iq_abbasid_cal_1) [continuity]
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Degree of Centralization	unitary state	868 CE 969 CE
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Language Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Afro-Asiatic	868 CE 969 CE
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Language	Arabic	868 CE 969 CE
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Religion Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religion Genus	Islam	868 CE 969 CE
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Religion Family	Sunni	868 CE 969 CE
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Alternate Religion	Uncoded Undecided	868 CE 969 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	150,000 people	868 CE 969 CE
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Polity Territory	[800,000 to 1,000,000] km²	868 CE 969 CE
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Polity Population	6,500,000 people	868 CE 969 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	6	868 CE 969 CE
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Religious Level	2	868 CE 969 CE
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Military Level	6	868 CE 969 CE
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Administrative Level	5	868 CE 969 CE
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Professions Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Absent	868 CE 969 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Merit Promotion	Absent Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Examination System	Absent Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Law Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Absent	868 CE 969 CE
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Judge	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Court	Unknown Suspected	868 CE 969 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Irrigation System	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Food Storage Site	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Port	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Canal	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Bridge	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Information / Writing System Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Script	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent	868 CE 969 CE
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Mnemonic Device	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Sacred Text	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Practical Literature	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Philosophy	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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History	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Fiction	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Calendar	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Information / Money Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Unknown Suspected	868 CE 969 CE
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Precious Metal	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Paper Currency	Absent Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Foreign Coin	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Article	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Information / Postal System Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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General Postal Service	Absent	868 CE 969 CE
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Courier	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Information / Measurement System Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

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

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	868 CE 969 CE
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Moat	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Fortified Camp	Unknown Suspected	868 CE 969 CE
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Earth Rampart	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Ditch	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Complex Fortification	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Long Wall	absent	868 CE 969 CE
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Military use of Metals Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Iron	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Copper	Absent	868 CE 969 CE
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Bronze	Absent	868 CE 969 CE
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Projectiles Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Sling	Unknown Suspected	868 CE 969 CE
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Self Bow	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Javelin	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	868 CE 969 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	868 CE 969 CE
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Crossbow	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Composite Bow	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Atlatl	Absent Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Handheld weapons Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Sword	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Spear	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Polearm	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Dagger	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Animals used in warfare Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Elephant	Unknown Suspected	868 CE 969 CE
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Donkey	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Dog	Unknown Suspected	868 CE 969 CE
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Camel	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Armor Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Shield	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Scaled Armor	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Plate Armor	Absent Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Limb Protection	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Laminar Armor	Unknown Suspected	868 CE 969 CE
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Helmet	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Chainmail	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Breastplate	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Naval technology Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Present Inferred	868 CE 969 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Present	868 CE 969 CE
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Human Sacrifice Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period (eg_thulunid_ikhshidid)

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