General Description
The Old Kingdom period of Egypt covers the Third to Sixth ruling Dynasties, a period stretching from about 2650 to 2150 BCE. Seshat divides this period into two groups, the ’Classic’ Old Kingdom period, covering the First through Fifth Dynasties (roughly 2650-2350 BCE), and the ’Late’ Old Kingdom, comprising turbulent Sixth Dynasty (2350-2150 BCE). This dynasty witnessed a decentralization of the king’s authority, leading to the First Intermediate Period, or Period of the Regions.
Population and political organization
The kings of the Sixth Dynasty were still based at the capital in Memphis. Lower Nubia, over 1000 km away from the Egyptian centre, was organized into six small chiefdoms under the Sixth Dynasty.
[1]
The hwt, once a royal possession and conveyor of central authority, was now dominated by a powerful provincial nobility that viewed their area of control as hereditary property
[2]
- a development enshrined in the governor’s new title, ’great chief of the nome’.
[3]
It appears that military institutions did not change significantly from the Early to the Late Old Kingdom: there was still no permanent, state-run standing army.
[4]
Long viewed as an incarnation of an ancient sky and falcon god called Horus, from the Fourth Dynasty onward the Egyptian king also was considered the son of a sun god, Ra.
[5]
Ra grew in importance during the Old Kingdom and, around the beginning of the Fifth Dynasty, had essentially become an Egyptian state god. During the Sixth Dynasty the sun temples in which Ra was worshipped became large institutions maintained by donations and landed property.
[6]
In contrast to the earlier age, during the Sixth Dynasty it was promotion within the sun temples that became the route to high office within the palatial bureaucracy.
[7]
Priests would not become full-time professionals until the New Kingdom: at this time, they worked rotating shifts.
[8]
Nevertheless, large-scale temple building for a wide range of local gods, including Khenti-amentiu at Abydos; Min at Koptos; Hathor at Dendera; Horus at Hierankonpolis; and Satet at Elephantine, underlines the florescence of religious expression as well as the command of a large labour pool by the king and local elites more generally during the Sixth Dynasty.
[9]
The growing power of local elites, commanding religious and administrative authority as well as great agricultural wealth and control over labour in the form of corvée dues, undermined the central power of Sixth-Dynasty rulers. After the death of King Pepi II (r. 2278-2184 BCE), there were repeated contests over the succession.
[10]
Eventually, these conflicts, coupled with the declining authority of the kings and possibly periods of famine caused by successive harvest failures due to poor Nile flooding, led to the collapse of centralized authority and the onset of the First Intermediate Period, or Period of the Regions.
[1]: (Spalinger 2013, 463) A. Spalinger. 2013. ’The Organization of the Pharaonic Army (Old to New Kingdom)’, in Ancient Egyptian Adminstration, edited by Juan Carlos Moreno García, 393-478. Leiden: Brill.
[2]: (Hassan 1993, 567) Kekri Hassan. 1993. ’Town and Village in Ancient Egypt: Ecology, Society and Urbanization’, in The Archaeology of Africa: Food, Metals and Towns, edited by Thurstan Shaw, Paul Sinclair, Bassey Andah and Alex Okpoko, 551-69. London: Routledge.
[3]: (Kemp 1983, 108) Barry J. Kemp. 1983. ’Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period c. 2686-1552 BC’, in Ancient Egypt: A Social History, edited by Bruce G. Trigger, Barry J. Kemp, David O’Connor and Alan B. Lloyd, 71-182. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[4]: (Spalinger 2013, 468-70) A. Spalinger. 2013. ’The Organization of the Pharaonic Army (Old to New Kingdom)’, in Ancient Egyptian Adminstration, edited by Juan Carlos Moreno García, 393-478. Leiden: Brill.
[5]: (Kemp 1983, 71-72) Barry J. Kemp. 1983. ’Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period c. 2686-1552 BC’, in Ancient Egypt: A Social History, edited by Bruce G. Trigger, Barry J. Kemp, David O’Connor and Alan B. Lloyd, 71-182. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[6]: (Malek 2000, 99) Jaromir Malek. 2000. ’The Old Kingdom (c. 2686-2160 BC)’, in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, edited by Ian Shaw, 83-107. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[7]: (Moreno García 2013, 201) Juan Carlos Moreno García. 2013. ’Building the Pharaonic State: Territory, Elite, and Power in Ancient Egypt during the 3rd Millennium BCE’, in Experiencing Power - Generating Authority: Cosmos and Politics in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, edited by J. A. Hill, Ph. H. Jones, A. J. Morales, 185-217. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.
[8]: (Doxey 2001, 69-70) D. M. Doxey. 2001. ’Priesthood’, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, Volume 3, edited by D. B. Redford, 69-70. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[9]: (Malek 2000, 105) Jaromir Malek. 2000. ’The Old Kingdom (c. 2686-2160 BC)’, in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, edited by Ian Shaw, 83-107. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[10]: (Van De Mieroop 2011) Marc Van De Mieroop. 2011. A History of Ancient Egypt. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. Chichester.
none |
Egypt - Period of the Regions |
continuity |
Succeeding: Egypt - Period of the Regions (eg_regions) [None] | |
Preceding: Egypt - Classic Old Kingdom (eg_old_k_1) [continuity] |
loose | |
unitary state |
Present | |
Absent |
Present |
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Absent |
Present |
Absent |
Present | |
Absent |
Present |
inferred Present |
Present | |
Absent |
inferred Absent |
absent |
Year Range | Egypt - Late Old Kingdom (eg_old_k_2) was in: |
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(2350 BCE 2151 BCE) | Upper Egypt |
Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Utm Zone | 36 R | Confident Expert | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Original Name | Egypt - Late Old Kingdom | Confident Expert | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Capital | Memphis | Confident Expert | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Alternative Name | Late Old Kingdom | Confident Expert | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Alternative Name | Old Kingdom of Egypt | Confident Expert | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Suprapolity Relations | none | Confident Expert | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Succeeding Entity | Egypt - Period of the Regions | Confident Expert | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Relationship to Preceding Entity | continuity | Confident Expert | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Succeeding Entity
2150 BCE 2016 BCE
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Egypt - Period of the Regions (eg_regions) [None] | Confident Expert | |||||||||
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Preceding Entity
2650 BCE 2350 BCE
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Egypt - Classic Old Kingdom (eg_old_k_1) [continuity] | Confident Expert | |||||||||
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Degree of Centralization | loose | Confident Expert | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Degree of Centralization | unitary state | Confident Expert | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More |
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Specialized Government Building | Present | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Merit Promotion | Present | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Full Time Bureaucrat | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Examination System | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Professional Lawyer | Present | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Judge | Present | Confident Disputed | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Judge | Absent | Confident Disputed | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Formal Legal Code | Absent | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Court | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Market | Present | Confident Disputed | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Market | Absent | Confident Disputed | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Irrigation System | Present | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Food Storage Site | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Drinking Water Supply System | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Entertainment Building | Uncoded | Undecided | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Written Record | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Script | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Nonwritten Record | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Non Phonetic Writing | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Scientific Literature | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Sacred Text | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Religious Literature | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Practical Literature | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Philosophy | Present | Confident Disputed | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Philosophy | Absent | Confident Disputed | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Lists Tables and Classification | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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History | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Fiction | Present | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Calendar | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Token | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Precious Metal | Present | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Paper Currency | Absent | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Indigenous Coin | Absent | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Foreign Coin | Absent | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Article | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Postal Station | Absent | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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General Postal Service | Absent | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Courier | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More |
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Wooden Palisade | Present | Confident Uncertain | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Wooden Palisade | Absent | Confident Uncertain | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Stone Walls Non Mortared | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Stone Walls Mortared | Present | Confident Uncertain | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Stone Walls Mortared | Absent | Confident Uncertain | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Settlements in a Defensive Position | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Modern Fortification | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Moat | Present | Confident Uncertain | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Moat | Absent | Confident Uncertain | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Fortified Camp | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Earth Rampart | Present | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Ditch | Present | Confident Uncertain | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Ditch | Absent | Confident Uncertain | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Complex Fortification | Absent | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Long Wall | absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Tension Siege Engine | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Sling Siege Engine | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Sling | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Self Bow | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Javelin | Absent | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Handheld Firearm | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Crossbow | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Composite Bow | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Atlatl | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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War Club | Present | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Sword | Absent | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Spear | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Polearm | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Dagger | Present | Inferred | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Battle Axe | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Wood Bark Etc | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Shield | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Scaled Armor | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Plate Armor | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Limb Protection | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Leather Cloth | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Laminar Armor | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Helmet | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Chainmail | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Breastplate | Absent | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More | |||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement is Broad | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners | Unknown | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites | Present | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers | Transitional (Absent -> Present) | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain | Transitional (Absent -> Present) | Confident | 2350 BCE 2150 BCE | ||||||||
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Variable | Coded Value | Tags | Year(s) | See More |
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