Home Region:  West Africa (Africa)

Jenne-jeno IV

900 CE 1300 CE
EQ 2020  ml_jenne_jeno_4 / MlJeJe4
Preceding Entity: Add one more here.
[continuity; Jenne-Jeno III] [continuity]   Update here

Succeeding Entity:
No Polity found. Add one here.


  General Description  
The archaeological site of Jenne-jeno (or Djenné-djenno) is a mound located in the Niger Inland Delta, a region of West Africa just south of the Sahara and part of modern-day Mali, characterized by lakes and floodplains. It was continuously inhabited between 250 BCE and 1300 CE. ’Jenne-jeno IV’ refers to the period from 900 to 1300 CE. This roughly corresponds to the tail end of the region’s ’urban prosperity’ phase, and the beginning of the ’urban shake-up’. [1] By this period, the inhabitants of Jenne-jeno had established long-distance trade networks and developed bronzeworking. Around 1000, they started working with brass, and the population continued to grow, reaching its peak between 1100 and 1200. They also produced an impressive corpus of terracotta figurines. However, in the 13th century, the population decreased rapidly, eventually leading to the abandonment of several sites, Jenne-jeno included, by 1400. The reasons for the decline are unclear, but they may include climate change, pandemic diseases such as plague, cultural upheaval deriving from the arrival of Islam and horses, and the emergence of the great West African empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai. [2]
Population and political organization
No population estimates could be found specifically for this period. However, the combined population of Jenne-jeno and its satellites within a one-kilometre radius had probably reached 10,000-26,000 people by 800 CE. The population continued to grow until 1200, and then rapidly declined in the 13th and 14th centuries. [3]
The political organization of Jenne-jeno may have been quite different from that of other ancient cities. In several decades of excavation, clear evidence for hierarchies of any kind has yet to be unearthed: it seems that Jenne-jeno had no palaces, rich tombs, temples, public buildings, or monumental architecture. Indeed, the city’s very layout ‒ an assemblage of dispersed clusters ‒ suggests a resistance to centralization. [4] It is possible that, at this time, Niger Inland Delta society was organized ’heterarchically’ rather than hierarchically: that is, it was divided into multiple components, each deriving authority from separate or overlapping sources, with mechanisms in place to prevent any one group from monopolizing power. [5]

[1]: (McIntosh 2006, 175-76) Roderick McIntosh. 2006. Ancient Middle Niger. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[2]: (McIntosh 2006, 176-177) Roderick McIntosh. 2006. Ancient Middle Niger. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[3]: (McIntosh 2006, 174-77) Roderick McIntosh. 2006. Ancient Middle Niger. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[4]: (McIntosh 2006, 189) Roderick McIntosh. 2006. Ancient Middle Niger. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[5]: (McIntosh 2006, 228-29) Roderick McIntosh. 2006. Ancient Middle Niger. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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 Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4) was in:
 (900 CE 999 CE) Niger Inland Delta
Home NGA: Niger Inland Delta

General Variables
Identity and Location Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Utm Zone 30 P 900 CE  1300 CE
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Original Name Jenne-jeno IV 900 CE  1300 CE
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Alternative Name 900 CE  1300 CE
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Alternative Name 900 CE  1300 CE
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Alternative Name 900 CE  1300 CE
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Alternative Name 900 CE  1300 CE
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Alternative Name 900 CE  1300 CE
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Alternative Name 900 CE  1300 CE
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Temporal Bounds Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Peak Years
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Duration
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Political and Cultural Relations Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Suprapolity Relations unknown [---] Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Supracultural Entity 900 CE  1300 CE
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Succeeding Entity Sosso Kingdom 900 CE  1300 CE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction 900 CE  1300 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity 900 CE  1300 CE
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Preceding Entity
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Degree of Centralization 900 CE  1300 CE
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Language Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Linguistic Family NO_VALUE_ON_WIKI 900 CE  1300 CE
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Religion Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Population of the Largest Settlement 900 CE  1300 CE
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Polity Territory 900 CE  1300 CE
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Polity Population 900 CE  1300 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Settlement Hierarchy 900 CE  1300 CE
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Religious Level 900 CE  1300 CE
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Military Level 900 CE  1300 CE
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Administrative Level 900 CE  1300 CE
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Professions Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Professional Soldier 900 CE  1300 CE
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Professional Priesthood 900 CE  1300 CE
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Professional Military Officer 900 CE 1000 CE
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Professional Military Officer 1001 CE 1300 CE
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Professional Military Officer 1001 CE 1300 CE
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Occupational Complexity 900 CE  1300 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Specialized Government Building Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Merit Promotion Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat 900 CE  1300 CE
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Examination System Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Law Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Professional Lawyer 900 CE  1300 CE
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Judge 900 CE  1300 CE
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Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
Court 900 CE  1300 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Market 900 CE  1300 CE
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Irrigation System 900 CE  1300 CE
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Food Storage Site 900 CE  1300 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Road 900 CE  1300 CE
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Port 900 CE  1300 CE
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Canal Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Bridge Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Mines or Quarry 900 CE  1300 CE
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Enclosure 900 CE  1300 CE
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Ceremonial Site 900 CE  1300 CE
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Information / Writing System Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Written Record 900 CE  1300 CE
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Script 900 CE  1300 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing 900 CE  1300 CE
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Nonwritten Record 900 CE  1300 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing 900 CE  1300 CE
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Mnemonic Device Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Scientific Literature 900 CE  1300 CE
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Sacred Text 900 CE  1300 CE
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Religious Literature 900 CE  1300 CE
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Practical Literature 900 CE  1300 CE
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Philosophy 900 CE  1300 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification 900 CE  1300 CE
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History 900 CE  1300 CE
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Fiction 900 CE  1300 CE
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Calendar 900 CE  1300 CE
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Information / Money Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Token 900 CE  1300 CE
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Precious Metal Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Paper Currency Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Indigenous Coin 900 CE  1300 CE
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Indigenous Coin 900 CE  1300 CE
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Foreign Coin 900 CE  1300 CE
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Article 900 CE  1300 CE
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Information / Postal System Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Postal Station Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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General Postal Service Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Courier 900 CE  1300 CE
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Information / Measurement System Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Wooden Palisade 900 CE  1300 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared 900 CE  1300 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared 900 CE  1300 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position 900 CE  1300 CE
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Modern Fortification Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Moat 900 CE  1300 CE
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Fortified Camp 900 CE  1300 CE
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Earth Rampart 900 CE  1300 CE
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Earth Rampart 900 CE  1300 CE
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Ditch 900 CE  1300 CE
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Complex Fortification 900 CE  1300 CE
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Long Wall unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Military use of Metals Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Steel Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Iron 900 CE  1300 CE
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Iron 900 CE  1300 CE
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Copper Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Bronze Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Projectiles Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Tension Siege Engine Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Sling Siege Engine Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Sling Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Self Bow 900 CE  1300 CE
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Self Bow 900 CE  1300 CE
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Javelin 900 CE  1300 CE
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Javelin 900 CE  1300 CE
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Handheld Firearm Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Crossbow Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Composite Bow 900 CE  1300 CE
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Composite Bow 900 CE  1300 CE
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Atlatl Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Handheld weapons Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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War Club 900 CE  1300 CE
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War Club 900 CE  1300 CE
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Sword 900 CE  1300 CE
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Sword 900 CE  1300 CE
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Spear 900 CE  1300 CE
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Spear 900 CE  1300 CE
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Polearm Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Dagger Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Battle Axe Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Animals used in warfare Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Horse 900 CE  1300 CE
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Horse 900 CE  1300 CE
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Elephant Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Donkey Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Dog Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Camel 900 CE  1300 CE
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Armor Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Wood Bark Etc Present Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Wood Bark Etc Absent Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Shield Present Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Shield Absent Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Scaled Armor Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Plate Armor Present Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Plate Armor Absent Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Limb Protection Present Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Limb Protection Absent Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Leather Cloth Present Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Leather Cloth Absent Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Laminar Armor Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Helmet Present Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Helmet Absent Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Chainmail Present Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Chainmail Absent Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Breastplate Present Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Breastplate Absent Uncertain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Naval technology Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Specialized Military Vessel 900 CE  1300 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc Unknown Suspected 900 CE  1300 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service Absent 900 CE  1300 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Religion Variables
Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad 900 CE  1300 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary 900 CE  1300 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic 900 CE  1300 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life 900 CE  1300 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward 900 CE  1300 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners 900 CE  1300 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted 900 CE  1300 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife 900 CE  1300 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites 900 CE  1300 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers 900 CE  1300 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain 900 CE  1300 CE
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Human Sacrifice Jenne-jeno IV (ml_jenne_jeno_4)
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Instability Data
Power Transitions