Home Region: Sri Lanka (South Asia)

Polonnaruwa

1070 CE 1255 CE

D G SC R

New SEA sl_polonnaruva

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

849 CE 1280 CE Chola Empire (in_chola_emp) [None]

Succeeding Entity:

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General Description

“Certainly, the critical reappraisal of archaeological evidence allows us to narrow the gap between Anurādhapura and Polonnaruva. While the latter has long been archaeologically interpreted as a cosmopolitan urban centre, similar evidence from Anurādhapura has been largely undervalued but is now over- whelming. The remains of Polonnaruva, traditionally dated to between 1017 and 1293 CE have revealed Buddhist monasteries and Hindu temples with bronze sculptures of Hindu deities. This has led some scholars, rightly in our opinion, to speak of religious plurality and harmony. Excavations within the Alahana Pirivena in Polonnaruva uncovered quantities of pottery with appliqué designs, including swastika, śrīvasta and vajra or triśūla, which have now also been identified in the city’s hinterland (Figure 1.7). Bronze figurines excavated at Polonnaruva and representing deities such as Śiva and Parvati have been put forward as evidence of the presence of Hinduism in the city. And yet such evidence was not restricted to Polonnaruva.” ^[1]

[1]: Coningham et al. 2017, 40) Coningham et al. 2017. ‘Archaeology and cosmopolitanism in early historic and medieval Sri Lanka.’ Sri Lanka at the Crossroads of History. Edited by Zoltán Biedermann and Alan Strathern. London: UCL Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/7F5SEVNA/items/DCQMW8E3/collection

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

1 Capital

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

2 Linguistic Family

2 Language

Religion

2 Religious Tradition

2 Religion Family

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

Professions

Bureaucracy Characteristics

Law

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Irrigation System

1 Utilitarian Public Building

1 Symbolic Building

Transport Infrastructure

1 Port

Special-purpose Sites

1 Trading Emporia

1 Special Purpose Site

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

1 Non Phonetic Writing

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 History

1 Fiction

Information / Money

1 Indigenous Coin

1 Article

Information / Postal System

Information / Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

Military use of Metals

Projectiles

Handheld weapons

Animals used in warfare

Armor

Naval technology

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases Coding in Progress.

Power Transitions

22 Power Transition

Instability Events

19 Instability Event

General Variables

Identity and Location Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	44 N	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Original Name	Polonnaruwa	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Capital	Polonnaruva	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Temporal Bounds Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	[1187 CE ➜ 1196 CE]
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Duration	[1070 CE ➜ 1255 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Succeeding Entity	Dambadeniya	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Preceding Entity 849 CE 1280 CE	Chola Empire (in_chola_emp) [None]
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Degree of Centralization	nominal	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Language Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Indo-European	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Linguistic Family	Dravidian	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Language	Sinhala	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Language	Tamil	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Religion Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religious Tradition	Buddhism	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Religious Tradition	Hinduism	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Religion Family	Theravāda Buddhism	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Religion Family	Saivite Hinduism	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Hierarchical Complexity Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	5	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Professions Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Bureaucracy Characteristics Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Law Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Specialized Buildings: polity owned Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Irrigation System	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Utilitarian Public Building	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Symbolic Building	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Port	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Trading Emporia	Present Inferred	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Special Purpose Site	Present Inferred	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Information / Writing System Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Script	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Sacred Text	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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History	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Fiction	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Information / Money Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Indigenous Coin	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Article	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Information / Postal System Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Information / Measurement System Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Military use of Metals Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Projectiles Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Handheld weapons Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Animals used in warfare Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Armor Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Naval technology Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Absent	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Present	1070 CE 1255 CE
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Human Sacrifice Polonnaruwa (sl_polonnaruva)

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