Home Region: North India (South Asia)

Gupta Empire

320 CE 550 CE

D G SC WF R

EQ 2020 in_gupta_emp / InGupta

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General Description

The Gupta polity ran from 320-514 CE, with its peak considered to be around 400 CE during the reign of Skanda-Gupta. ^[1]
At its largest, the Gupta empire spanned up to 900,000 square kilometres across north and south India, which it had full and direct control over, as well as southern India indirectly. The cities of Ujjain and Pataliputra seem to have both served as capital cities. While the total population is not known, the largest settlement, Pataliputra, is thought to have had a population of 150,000 people in 360 CE. ^[2] , Kulke and Rothermund (2004) ^[3] and Stein (2010) ^[4] .

Trade flourished under the Gupta Empire both internally across India as well as through overseas trading routes with China and the Roman Empire. Among their exports were pearls, gems, diamonds and precious metals. ^[1]
Common religions practiced in this polity included Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism from both the Vaisnava and Saiva Traditions, though none claimed to be the exclusive or ‘correct’ religion. ^[5]

[1]: (Keay 2010, 146) Keay, John. 2010. India: A History. New Updated Edition. London: HarperPress. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/HSHAKZ3X.

[2]: (Agrawal 1989)

[3]: (Kulke and Rothermund 2004)

[4]: (Stein 2010)

[5]: (Bisschop 2010, 478) Bisschop, Peter. 2010. “Saivism in the Gupta-Vakataka Age.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 20 (4):477-88.Seshat URL: .https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/collectionKey/M52PA8IW/itemKey/BHH5W2PV

General Variables

Identity and Location

2 Capital

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Suprapolity Relations

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

2 Language

Religion

1 Religion Genus

1 Religion Family

1 Alternate Religion Genus

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

1 Population of the Largest Settlement

1 Polity Territory

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 Full Time Bureaucrat

Law

1 Professional Lawyer

1 Formal Legal Code

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Irrigation System

1 Food Storage Site

Transport Infrastructure

1 Port

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 History

1 Fiction

1 Calendar

Information / Money

1 Token

1 Indigenous Coin

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

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 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 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

11 Power Transition

Instability Events

9 Instability Event

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp) was in:
(320 CE 514 CE)	Middle Ganga

Home NGA: Middle Ganga

General Variables

Identity and Location Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Capital	Pataliputra	320 CE 550 CE
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Capital	Ujjain	320 CE 550 CE
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Temporal Bounds Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	400 CE
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Duration	[320 CE ➜ 550 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	in_gupta_emp alliance with in_vakataka_k	320 CE 550 CE
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Degree of Centralization	loose	320 CE 550 CE
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Language Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Indo-European	320 CE 550 CE
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Language	Sanskrit	320 CE 550 CE
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Language	Prakrit	320 CE 550 CE
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Religion Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religion Genus	Hinduism	320 CE 550 CE
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Religion Family	Vaisnava Traditions	320 CE 550 CE
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Alternate Religion Genus	Buddhism	320 CE 550 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	150,000 people	320 CE 550 CE
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Polity Territory	[800,000 to 900,000] km²	320 CE 550 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	[4 to 5]	320 CE 550 CE
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Religious Level	5	320 CE 550 CE
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Military Level	5	320 CE 550 CE
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Administrative Level	9	320 CE 550 CE
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Professions Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Law Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Absent Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Irrigation System	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Food Storage Site	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Port	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Information / Writing System Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Script	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent	320 CE 550 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Sacred Text	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Practical Literature	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Philosophy	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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History	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Fiction	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Calendar	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Information / Money Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Information / Postal System Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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General Postal Service	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Courier	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Information / Measurement System Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

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

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	320 CE 550 CE
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Moat	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Fortified Camp	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Earth Rampart	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Ditch	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Complex Fortification	Absent Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Military use of Metals Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Iron	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Copper	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Bronze	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Projectiles Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Sling	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Self Bow	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	320 CE 550 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	320 CE 550 CE
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Crossbow	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Composite Bow	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Atlatl	Absent	320 CE 550 CE
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Handheld weapons Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Sword	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Spear	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Polearm	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Dagger	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Battle Axe	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Animals used in warfare Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Elephant	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Donkey	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Camel	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Armor Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Shield	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Scaled Armor	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Plate Armor	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Limb Protection	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Laminar Armor	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Helmet	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Chainmail	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Breastplate	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Naval technology Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Unknown Suspected	320 CE 550 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Absent Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	320 CE 550 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Absent Inferred	320 CE 550 CE
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Human Sacrifice Gupta Empire (in_gupta_emp)

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