temporal

Seshat – General Variables

History, World History | language, polity, religion, seshat, succession

“This section of the Seshat database focuses on the essential aspects of polity organization and dynamics. It includes data on alternative name, original name, and capital, which provide information on how polities were identified. Variables such as degree of centralization, peak years, and duration reveal the administrative, temporal, and structural characteristics of past societies. Additionally, this section captures the relationships and interactions between polities, including preceding entity, succeeding entity, and relationship to preceding entity. Religious and cultural contexts are represented through variables like religion, religious tradition, and scale of supracultural interaction. Furthermore, linguistic and territorial attributes are documented, including language, language genus, linguistic family, and UTM zone.”

Data type: temporal

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Seshat – Social Complexity Variables

History, World History | administration, economy, government, information, infrastructure, money, seshat

“This section of Seshat provides a detailed exploration of the diverse aspects that characterize past polities’ societal structures and advancements. It includes data on infrastructure like roads, bridges, and irrigation systems; administrative and governance systems such as courts, bureaucracies, and legal codes; and cultural and intellectual achievements, including writing systems, scientific literature, and sacred texts. This section also captures economic activities, including markets, trade emporia, and currency systems, as well as population dynamics and territorial extents. By coding these variables systematically, this section helps researchers analyze the development, complexity, and functionality of historical societies, offering a comprehensive view of how polities managed resources, facilitated communication, and maintained social order.”

Data type: temporal

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Seshat – Warfare Variables (MilTech)

History, World History | military technology, seshat, war

“This section of the historical database delves into the tools, strategies, and innovations that shaped military capabilities in past polities. It catalogs a wide array of military technologies, from basic weapons like spears, swords, and daggers to advanced systems like crossbows, composite bows, and gunpowder-based firearms. Protective equipment such as helmets, chainmail, and plate armor is documented alongside fortifications like stone walls, moats, and long defensive walls. This section also includes entries on transportation and battlefield support, such as horses, camels, and elephants, as well as specialized vessels for naval engagements. By coding these variables systematically, we aim to provide insights into the evolution of warfare, reflecting how societies adapted their military technologies to defend territories, expand influence, or engage in conflict. This serves as a valuable resource for researchers interested in the history of military technologies and the socio-political impact of war in human history.”

Data type: temporal

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Seshat – Religion Variables

History, World History | government, religion, seshat

“This section of Seshat encompasses a wide range of variables, each offering valuable insights into the dynamics of religious coexistence, government policies, and societal attitudes. This comprehensive collection of variables allows for a multifaceted analysis of religions, shedding light on the complexities of interactions between governments, societies, and religious communities. Key variables include measures of syncretism, the prevalence of official and elite religions, and the frequency of violence, both governmental and societal, against religious groups. Additionally, the dataset explores government restrictions on religious practices, property ownership, and the circulation of religious literature. It delves into taxation based on religious adherence, governmental obligations for official recognition, and limitations on constructing religious buildings. Furthermore, the prevalence of widespread religions, including the most widespread and up to the fourth most widespread, provides a nuanced understanding of religious landscapes.”

Data type: temporal

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Seshat – Economy Variables

History, World History | culture, economy, luxury goods, seshat, social hierarchy

“This section of the database is dedicated to examining the production, provenance, and consumption of luxury items and goods across different strata of society. The data captures a wide array of luxury items such as precious metals, luxury fabrics, manufactured goods, spices, incense, and dyes, luxury drinks/alcohol, glass goods, fine ceramic wares, precious stones, statuary, and luxury food. These variables highlight the intersection of economy, culture, and social hierarchy.”

Data type: temporal

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Crisis DB – Instability Events

History, World History

A significant historical event characterized by social, political, or economic turmoil. This model captures key attributes of such events, including their types, intensity, extent, and reliability.

Data type: temporal

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Crisis DB – US Political Violence Database

History, Social History | eighteenth century, nineteenth century, twentieth century, twenty-first century, United States, war and conflict

Collection of historical records of violent incidents in the United States, spanning from 1782 to the present day. The dataset is categorized by date, incident type, subtypes, casualties, geographical location of the violence, documented fatalities, and the authoritative sources from which this data is derived. Additionally, each entry includes a detailed narrative describing the specific circumstances surrounding the violent incident.

Data type: spatial, temporal

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Spread of agriculture across Europe

Ancient History, History | agriculture, archaeology, diffusion, history

A dataset comprising of the spatio-temporal dynamics of the diffusive spread of an agricultural package. The data is made up of radiocarbon data from 735 early Neolithic sites in Europe, the Near East and Anatolia.

Data type: spatial, temporal

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The Letters of Richard Cobden Online

Economic History, History | economy, history, letters, nineteenth century, politics

Throughout his campaigns, Cobden used his personal correspondence as a key method of organising, persuading and sharing his own knowledge and experience, while also eliciting new information to help inform his speeches and pamphlets. His letters also give an insight into his private life, and the stresses and strains of agitation. The Letters of Richard Cobden (1804-1865) Online provides free access to digital transcripts of Cobden’s letters collected by the Letters of Richard Cobden Project, first established in 2002.

Data type: temporal, text

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Humphry Davy’s Notebooks

History, History of Science | chemistry, notebooks

Searchable transcriptions of five notebooks kept by the nineteenth-century chemist, Sir Humphry Davy, between 1795 and 1805.

Data type: temporal, text

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Glossary