| 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 |
|---|---|
| settlement_hierarchy_from | The lower range of settlement hierarchy for a polity. |
| settlement_hierarchy_to | The upper range of settlement hierarchy for a polity. |
| # | Polity | Year(s) | Settlement Hierarchy from | Settlement Hierarchy to | Description | Edit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 111 |
(Classic Basin of Mexico) |
Full Year Range of Classic Basin of Mexico is assumed. [100, 649] |
3 |
3 |
None | |
| 113 |
(Cuzco - Late Intermediate II) |
Full Year Range of Cuzco - Late Intermediate II is assumed. [1250, 1400] |
4 |
4 |
None | |
| 114 |
(Orokaiva - Pre-Colonial) |
Full Year Range of Orokaiva - Pre-Colonial is assumed. [1734, 1883] |
1 |
1 |
None | |
| 116 |
(Kachi Plain - Ceramic Neolithic) |
Full Year Range of Kachi Plain - Ceramic Neolithic is assumed. [-5500, -4000] |
1 |
2 |
None | |
| 119 |
(Eastern Zhou) |
Full Year Range of Eastern Zhou is assumed. [-475, -256] |
4 |
5 |
Inferred from contemporary polities. pre-reforms (fifth c bce): 1. Capital city 2. town 3. feudal estates (?) 4. village post-reforms (fifth c bce): 1. Capital city 2. Commandery capital 3. County 4. town 5. village |
|
| 120 |
(Chandra Dynasty) |
Full Year Range of Chandra Dynasty is assumed. [900, 1050] |
None |
None |
levels. (1) Capital city (2) TownTowns were often emporiums of trade as well as political centres. What distinguished them from villages, according to Majumdar, was that while they may also have had some agricultural activity, they served a “wide variety of functions, commercial, industrial, political, judicial and military.” But the greatest distinction was the luxury and wealth of the towns and it’s citizens, which the Ramacharita describes as “a city of rows of palaces” and as possessing ‘an immense mass of gems’.” [Majumdar 1943] “the archaeological record indicates that urban centres came up as early as the fifth century bce. During the following centuries large towns would develop along major rivers rather than on the exposed sea coast.” [van_Schendel 2009] (3) VillageMajumdar writes that since the beginning of historical record for Bengal, there have been well-established villages, in which the fields, meadows and woodlands have been organised to serve the population’s needs. They varied in size but people tended to live in compact groups within them They would all generally include livestock. The villages also contained “pits and canals (garta and nala) which might have served the purpose of drainage, barren tracts (ushara), tanks, reservoirs and temples, besides cattle-tracks and ordinary roads and paths.” [Majumdar 1943] (4)Hamlet |