Home Region: Northeast Africa (Africa)

Badarian

4400 BCE 3800 BCE

D G SC WF R

EQ 2020 eg_badarian / EgBadar

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

[NO_VALUE_ON_WIKI] [None] Update here

Succeeding Entity:

No Polity found. Add one here.

General Description

The Badarian, a Neolithic archaeological culture located in Upper Egypt and dating from c. 4400 to 3300 BCE, was first described in 1928 by archaeologists Guy Brunton and Gertrude Caton-Thompson, who excavated in the Badari district near Assyut. ^[1] Its relationship to an earlier culture, called the Tasian, is unclear, ^[2] but there is some evidence to link it to the later Naqada I period in Upper Egypt. ^[2] Little is known of the everyday lives of the people who occupied the Badarian sites: our information comes mainly from the numerous grave sites in the region around Assyut.
Population and political organization
Research on Badarian sites has yielded a total of about 600 graves and 40 poorly documented settlements. ^[2] The culture was first identified in the el-Badari region, near the modern city of Sohag, but several small sites near the villages of Qau el-Kebir, Hammamiya, Mostagedda, and Matmar are also categorized as Badarian. ^[2] Characteristic Badarian material culture has also been discovered much further south at Mahgar Dendera, Armant, Elkab, and Hierakonpolis, as well as to the east of the Nile in the Wadi Hammamat. ^[2]
The archaeology of the period has inevitably been affected by the flooding of the Nile over the millennia: any larger, more permanent settlements were likely situated close to the great river and subsequently washed away or covered with alluvium. ^[2] Surviving remains come from raised desert spurs and include ’huts and windbreaks associated with hearths and large, well-shaped granary pits or silos’. ^[3] A Badarian settlement at Deir Tasa covered an area of about 5000 square metres. ^[3] At the Seshat standard of 50-200 inhabitants per hectare, this gives us an estimated population between the range of 25 and 100 inhabitants.
Evidence from Badarian settlements shows that the people who occupied these sites were primarily engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry, ^[2] but we know trade also occurred. Badarians imported raw materials like wood, turquoise, shells and ivory and exchanged goods with groups from as far away as Palestine, the Red Sea and Syria. ^[4] Model boats found at the site of Merimda to the north ’suggest that boats and canoes were already in use [in Egypt] before 4500 B.C.’ ^[5]
Very little can be concluded about Badarian political and social structure, but analysis of grave goods shows that there was an unequal distribution of wealth, and that the wealthier graves tended to be kept separate within the cemeteries. ^[2] However, no monumental remains have been found so it is likely that higher-status members of society did not command a significant labour force.

[1]: (Hassan 1988, 138) F. A. Hassan. 1988. ’The Predynastic of Egypt’. Journal of World Prehistory 2 (2): 135-85.

[2]: (Hendrickx and Vermeersch 2000, 36-40) Stan Hendrickx and Pierre Vermeersch. 2000. ’Prehistory: From the Palaeolithic to the Badarian Culture’, in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, edited by Ian Shaw, 16-40. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[3]: (Hassan 1988, 153) F. A. Hassan. 1988. ’The Predynastic of Egypt’. Journal of World Prehistory 2 (2): 135-85.

[4]: (Trigger 1983, 29) Bruce G. Trigger. 1983. ’The Rise of Egyptian Civilization’, in Ancient Egypt: A Social History edited by Bruce G. Trigger, Barry J. Kemp, David O’Connor and Alan B Lloyd, 1-70. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[5]: (Hassan 1988, 157) F. A. Hassan. 1988. ’The Predynastic of Egypt’. Journal of World Prehistory 2 (2): 135-85.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

1 Capital

2 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Suprapolity Relations

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

1 Language

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 Trading Emporia

1 Other Special Purpose Site

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

2 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	Badarian (eg_badarian) was in:
(4400 BCE 3801 BCE)	Upper Egypt

Home NGA: Upper Egypt

General Variables

Identity and Location Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	36 R	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Original Name	Badarian	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Capital	None (Absent Capital)	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Alternative Name	Badari-Kultur	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Alternative Name	Badari culture	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Temporal Bounds Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	[4400 BCE ➜ 4000 BCE]
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Duration	[4400 BCE ➜ 3800 BCE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	unknown [---] Suspected	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Succeeding Entity	Naqada I	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Preceding Entity	NO_VALUE_ON_WIKI [None] Update here
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Degree of Centralization	unknown Suspected	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Language Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	NO_VALUE_ON_WIKI	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Language	unknown Suspected	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Religion Badarian (eg_badarian)

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

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	[25 to 100] people	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Polity Territory	- Undecided	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Polity Population	- Suspected	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Hierarchical Complexity Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	[1 to 2]	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Religious Level	1	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Military Level	1	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Administrative Level	[1 to 2]	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Professions Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Professional Priesthood	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Professional Military Officer	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Merit Promotion	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Examination System	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Law Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Judge	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Formal Legal Code	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Court	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Irrigation System	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Food Storage Site	Present Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Transport Infrastructure Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Port	Present Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Canal	Unknown Suspected	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Bridge	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Special-purpose Sites Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Trading Emporia	Uncoded Undecided	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Other Special Purpose Site	Uncoded Undecided	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Information / Writing System Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Script	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Nonwritten Record	Present	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Mnemonic Device	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Sacred Text	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Religious Literature	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Practical Literature	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Philosophy	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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History	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Fiction	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Calendar	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Information / Money Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Uncoded Undecided	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Precious Metal	Unknown Suspected	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Paper Currency	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Indigenous Coin	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Foreign Coin	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Article	Present Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Information / Postal System Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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General Postal Service	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Courier	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Information / Measurement System Badarian (eg_badarian)

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

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Moat	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Fortified Camp	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Earth Rampart	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Ditch	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Complex Fortification	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Long Wall	absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Military use of Metals Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Iron	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Copper	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Bronze	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Projectiles Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Sling	Present Uncertain	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Sling	Absent Uncertain	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Self Bow	Present	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Javelin	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Crossbow	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Composite Bow	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Atlatl	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Handheld weapons Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Unknown Suspected	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Sword	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Spear	Present	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Polearm	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Dagger	Absent Inferred	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Battle Axe	Unknown Suspected	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Animals used in warfare Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Elephant	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Donkey	Unknown Suspected	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Dog	Unknown Suspected	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Camel	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Armor Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Shield	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Scaled Armor	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Plate Armor	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Limb Protection	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Leather Cloth	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Laminar Armor	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Helmet	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Chainmail	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Breastplate	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Naval technology Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Absent	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Unknown Suspected	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Badarian (eg_badarian)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Unknown	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Unknown	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Unknown	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Unknown	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Unknown	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Unknown	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Unknown	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Unknown	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Unknown	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Unknown	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Unknown	4400 BCE 3800 BCE
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Human Sacrifice Badarian (eg_badarian)

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