Section: Social Complexity

Subsection: Hierarchical Complexity

Settlement Hierarchy

settlement hierarchy records (in levels) the hierarchy of not just settlement sizes, but also their complexity as reflected in different roles they play within the (quasi)polity. as settlements become more populous they acquire more complex functions: transportational (e.g. port); economic (e.g. market); administrative (e.g. storehouse, local government building); cultural (e.g. theatre); religious (e.g. temple), utilitarian (e.g. hospital), monumental (e.g. statues, plazas). example: (1) large city (monumental structures, theatre, market, hospital, central government buildings) (2) city (market, theatre, regional government buildings) (3) large town (market, administrative buildings) (4) town (administrative buildings, storehouse)) (5) village (shrine) (6) hamlet (residential only). in the narrative paragraph explain the different levels and list their functions. provide a (crude) estimate of population sizes. for example, large town (market, temple, administrative buildings): 2,000-5,000 inhabitants. (See here)

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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.

Actual Data:

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#	Polity	Year(s)	Settlement Hierarchy from	Settlement Hierarchy to	Description	Edit
51	(East Francia)	Full Year Range of East Francia is assumed. [842, 919]	6	6	Level 1: Large Cities (~10,000–15,000 inhabitants) Examples: Regensburg, Mainz, Cologne Level 2: Cities (~5,000–10,000 inhabitants) Examples: Frankfurt, Metz, Worms Level 3: Large Towns (~2,000–5,000 inhabitants) Examples: Speyer, Passau, Constance Level 4: Towns (~500–2,000 inhabitants) Examples: Small fortified settlements or market towns scattered across Saxony, Bavaria, and Swabia. Level 5: Villages (~100–500 inhabitants) Examples: Rural settlements tied to manorial estates. Level 6: Hamlets (<100 inhabitants) Examples: Isolated farmsteads or small clusters of homes. [Wickham 2010], [Russell 1972]
52	(Early United Mexican States)	Full Year Range of Early United Mexican States is assumed. [1810, 1920]	6	6	None
53	(Late Tiwanaku)	Full Year Range of Late Tiwanaku is assumed. [800, 1149]	4	4	None
54	(Anglo-Saxon England II)	Full Year Range of Anglo-Saxon England II is assumed. [927, 1065]	5	5	None
55	(Yemen - Ottoman period)	Full Year Range of Yemen - Ottoman period is assumed. [1873, 1920]	3	3	None
56	(Pergamon Kingdom)	Full Year Range of Pergamon Kingdom is assumed. [-282, -133]	5	5	None
57	(Russian Principate)	Full Year Range of Russian Principate is assumed. [1133, 1240]	None	None	levels. 1. Capital town 2. Subordinate town
58	(Songhai Empire)	Full Year Range of Songhai Empire is assumed. [1376, 1493]	None	None	None
59	(Southern Qi State)	Full Year Range of Southern Qi State is assumed. [479, 502]	None	None	levels. 1. Capital city 2. 3. 4. 5.
60	(Axum II)	Full Year Range of Axum II is assumed. [350, 599]	4	4	levels. Population rise throughout this period. 1. Capital - city 2. Towns Many specialist workers "must have been urban dwellers, living in towns and cities that apparently did not need protection by surrounding walls ..." [Connah 2015, p. 141] "Intermediate-sized houses excavated at Matara would indicate that there were also people who belonged to neither the elite nor the peasantry, at least in Aksumite times." [Connah 2015, p. 141] Adulis known before the city of Aksum. [Kobishanov 1981, p. 381] 3. Village First century CE. "Where there used to be only villages, small towns and cities are now developing." [Anfray 1981, p. 376] 4. Hamlets Towns, villages and isolated hamlets. [Uhlig 2017, p. 94] "In central Tegray the ancient landscape was characterized by a clearly-cut hierarchy in size of the settlements, ranging from the city of Aksum, over 100ha in size, to small compounds less than 1ha in area, and included large and small villages, elite residences, residential compounds, farming hamlets and workshops. Large settlements, ranging from 7ha to over 11ha in area, were located mainly at the base or sometimes on the top of the hills. Isolated elite palaces were often scattered in the open plain. Villages, hamlets and compounds were located on the top or along the slopes of the hills." [Uhlig 2017, p. 96]

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