Section: Special-purpose Sites
Variable: Other Special Purpose Site (All coded records)
Other special-purpose sites.  
Other Special Purpose Site
#  Polity  Coded Value Tags Year(s) Edit Desc
1 Ottoman Empire Late Period absent Confident -
-
2 Monte Alban V Early Postclassic absent Confident -
-
3 Monte Alban V Late Postclassic absent Confident -
-
4 Anurādhapura IV present Confident -
“It has been hypothesized that the site of Sigiriya, a creation of Kassapa I (r. 473–91 CE) and historically a site that attracted large numbers of visitors and pilgrims, was constructed symbolically to recreate the city of Āḷakamandā, the celestial home of Kubera, god of wealth. Inscription 28 of the Sigiriya graffiti records: ‘The resplendent rock named Sighigiri captivates the minds of those who have seen [it] as if [the mountain] Mundalind, which was adorned by the King of Sages, had descended to the earth.’ Mundalind has been equated with Mount Meru and, continuing this symbolism, Paranavitana suggested that the lake at Sigiriya represented the celestial lake Anotatta, the white- washed boulders before the outcrop stood for the snow-clad Himalayas, and the royal palace pointed to the abode of Kubera on the summit of Meru. The famous Sigiriya frescoes have also been interpreted in various ways, one being that they are depictions of divine cloud damsels representing cloud and lightning, reaffirming Kassapa’s ability to control the elements. If indeed viewed as the creation of Kassapa, the graffiti and cosmological symbolism of Sigiriya produced what is argued to be the clearest example of an urban microcosm in early Sri Lanka.” [1]

[1]: (Coningham et al. 2017, 30) 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


5 Anurādhapura III present Inferred -
“It has been hypothesized that the site of Sigiriya, a creation of Kassapa I (r. 473–91 CE) and historically a site that attracted large numbers of visitors and pilgrims, was constructed symbolically to recreate the city of Āḷakamandā, the celestial home of Kubera, god of wealth. Inscription 28 of the Sigiriya graffiti records: ‘The resplendent rock named Sighigiri captivates the minds of those who have seen [it] as if [the mountain] Mundalind, which was adorned by the King of Sages, had descended to the earth.’ Mundalind has been equated with Mount Meru and, continuing this symbolism, Paranavitana suggested that the lake at Sigiriya represented the celestial lake Anotatta, the white- washed boulders before the outcrop stood for the snow-clad Himalayas, and the royal palace pointed to the abode of Kubera on the summit of Meru. The famous Sigiriya frescoes have also been interpreted in various ways, one being that they are depictions of divine cloud damsels representing cloud and lightning, reaffirm- ing Kassapa’s ability to control the elements. If indeed viewed as the creation of Kassapa, the graffiti and cosmological symbolism of Sigiriya produced what is argued to be the clearest example of an urban microcosm in early Sri Lanka.” [1]

[1]: (Coningham et al. 2017, 30) 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


6 Late Classic Tikal present Confident -
Plazas; ball courts. “Tikal has inscriptions, its own emblem glyph, water symbolism, palaces, royal funerary temples, large ball courts, and tall temples facing large and open plazas (e.g., Temple IV is 65 m tall). Its monumental complexes are connected via sacbeob (causeways).” [1]

[1]: (Lucero 2006: 162) Lucero, Lisa J. 2006. Water and Ritual: The Rise and Fall of Classic Maya Rulers. Austin: University of Texas Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/NSX2SNWU


7 Middle and Late Nok present Confident -
"So far, excavations have revealed four categories of Nok sites: settlements, ritual sites, iron-smelting sites or furnaces, and burial sites." [1]

[1]: (Breunig and Ruppe 2016: 248) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/ES4TRU7R.


8 Middle and Late Nok present Confident -
"So far, excavations have revealed four categories of Nok sites: settlements, ritual sites, iron-smelting sites or furnaces, and burial sites." [1]

[1]: (Breunig and Ruppe 2016: 248) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/ES4TRU7R.


9 British East India Company present Confident -
-
10 Gauda Kingdom present Confident -
-
11 Nawabs of Bengal present Confident -
-
12 Jayarid Khanate present Confident -
-
13 * Norman England present Confident -
- Battlefield Memorials:
Example: Battle Abbey, established on the site of the Battle of Hastings (1066). [Chibnall 1996] EDIT
14 West Burkina Faso Red II and III present Confident Expert -
"Specialized iron production shifted from the inhabitants of Mound 4 to those at Mound 11, and iron smelting remained set at a distance from the settlement, but now 250 m to the west of Mound 11." [1]

[1]: (Dueppen 2012: 30)


15 West Burkina Faso Red IV present Inferred Expert -
Inferred from the following, which pertains to the immediately preceding period. "Specialized iron production shifted from the inhabitants of Mound 4 to those at Mound 11, and iron smelting remained set at a distance from the settlement, but now 250 m to the west of Mound 11." [1]

[1]: (Dueppen 2012: 30)


16 * Egypt - Classic Old Kingdom present Confident -
- "In the 4th Dynasty, there is evidence of state workshops for craft goods near the Giza pyramids (for stone carving and copper production, but also pottery kilns)". [Bard 2015, p. 140] EDIT
17 Early Wagadu Empire uncoded Undecided -
-
18 Hohokam Culture unknown Suspected -
-