Section: Social Complexity
Subsection: Postal sytems

Postal Station

postal stations are specialized buildings exclusively devoted to the postal service. if there is a special building that has other functions than a postal station, we still code postal station as present. the intent is to capture additional infrastructure beyond having a corps of messengers.   (See here)
Contributors:

Variable Definition
Polity The Seshat Polity ID
Year(s) The years for which we have the data. [negative = BCE]
Tag [Evidenced, Disputed, Suspected, Inferred, Unknown]
Verified A Seshat Expert has approved this piece of data.

Variable Definition
postal_station The absence or presence of postal station for a polity.

# Polity Year(s) Postal Station Description   Edit
11
(Avar Khaganate)
Full Year Range of Avar Khaganate is assumed.
[586, 822]
unknown
no data.
12
(Axum II)
Full Year Range of Axum II is assumed.
[350, 599]
unknown
EMPTY_COMMENT
13
(Southern Song)
Full Year Range of Southern Song is assumed.
[1127, 1279]
absent
"The creation of a system of relay postal stations has been credited to Chinngis Khan, but was most effectively employed by Chinngis Khan's successor Ogodei." [Avery 2003, p. 40]
14
(Bagan)
Full Year Range of Bagan is assumed.
[1044, 1287]
unknown
EMPTY_COMMENT
15
(Early Greater Coclé)
Full Year Range of Early Greater Coclé is assumed.
[200, 700]
absent
The sources I have consulted do not mention a postal service, and Precolumbian Panamanian societies were non-literate. [Mendizábal_Archibold 2004, p. 14]
16
(Portuguese Empire - Early Modern)
Full Year Range of Portuguese Empire - Early Modern is assumed.
[1640, 1806]
present
In the original 1520 royal letter that established the Portuguese postal service, "foi explicitada a necessidade de ordem régia específica para se estabelecerem os locais das estações necessárias ao funcionamento do serviço". Translation: the letter "clarified that a specific royal order would be required for the establishment of each of the stations necessary for the service to function". [Valle_Salvino 2018]
17
(Crimean Khanate)
Full Year Range of Crimean Khanate is assumed.
[1440, 1783]
unknown
None
18
(Kangju)
Full Year Range of Kangju is assumed.
[-150, 350]
absent
Administration not developed enough for postal stations.
19
(Kazan Khanate)
Full Year Range of Kazan Khanate is assumed.
[1438, 1552]
unknown
EMPTY_COMMENT
20
(Banu Ghaniya)
Full Year Range of Banu Ghaniya is assumed.
[1126, 1227]
absent
EMPTY_COMMENT
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