The Seshat team makes our data publicly available in three different ways.
First, we deposit in open access all data on which analyses are based at the time of publication of the article that reports these analyses. These “replication datasets” are published as downloadable spreadsheets. In many cases we post preprints of articles on SoxArXiv accompanied by the data and analysis scripts.
Second, we periodically publish “snapshots” of the Seshat Databank for well-curated variables and polities. The current such data release is Equinox-2020, which presents data in both browsable format and through a spreadsheet. Whereas the spreadsheet contains data in computer-readable form suitable for statistical analyses, Seshat Data Browser also includes narrative paragraphs, explaining the codes, as well as references. Equinox-2020 is forward looking and brings together all data upon which the next series of forthcoming publications is based. This approach allows our collaborators and other domain experts to browse our data and suggest improvements.
Third, we are in the process of constructing a triple store that will house the Seshat data. Once this process is completed, we will make our data available in the RDF format. We will also continue the current practice of making data available in browsable format and as downloadable spreadsheets.
| Date | Download |
|---|---|
| 2017-04-10 | Web-release only - no downloads |
| 2018-04-02 | 2018 Dataset Release - Social Complexity variables. Formats: RDF (Turtle), CSV (Archived, available on request). |
| 2020-03-20 | “Equinox-2020” Dataset Release - General, Social Complexity, Warfare, and Religion variables. |
| 2020-05-18 | "Equinox-2020" Dataset Update - Minor issues fixed. |
| 2020-10-23 | "Equinox-2020" Dataset Update - Minor issues fixed. |
| 2021-3-29 | "Equinox-2020" Dataset Update - Minor issues fixed. |
| 2021-8-03 | "Equinox-2020" Dataset Update - Minor updates |
| 2021-10-12 | "Equinox-2020" Dataset - Religion variables updated. |
| 2021-12-14 | "Equinox-2020" Dataset - Minor updates. Format: CSV. Definitions: Equinox Code Book. |
Please include the following text in any publication using these data:
This research employed data from the Seshat Databank (seshatdatabank.info) under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial (CC By-NC SA) licensing. The Equinox dataset is an openly accessible file stored on Zenodo under the doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6642229.
and cite:
Benam, M. et al. (2022). Seshat Data: Equinox Packaged Data (1.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6642229
Turchin P. et al. 2015. Seshat: The Global History Databank. Cliodynamics 6(1):77–107. https://doi.org/10.21237/C7clio6127917
Turchin P. et al. 2017. Quantitative historical analysis uncovers a single dimension of complexity that structures global variation in human social organization. PNAS. http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/12/20/1708800115.full
The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official positions, either expressed or implied, of the Seshat Databank, its collaborative scholarly community, or the Evolution Institute.
The following downloadable datasets are meant to accompany specific published articles, to provide a 'snapshot' of the data used in analyses at the time of writing. They are free to use for any non-commercial, research purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial (CC By-NC SA) license.
The views and conclusions contained in the any document utilizing these public data are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official positions, either expressed or implied, of the Seshat Databank, its collaborative scholarly community, or any of the affiliated research centres.
Download the Social Complexity dataset here
Please include the following text in any publication using these data:
This research employed data from the Seshat Databank (seshatdatabank.info) under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial (CC By-NC SA) licensing.
And cite:
Download the Agri dataset here
Please include the following text in any publication using these data:
This research employed data from the Seshat Databank (seshatdatabank.info) under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial (CC By-NC SA) licensing.
And cite:
Download the Axial Age dataset here
Please include the following text in any publication using these data:
This research employed data from the Seshat Databank (seshatdatabank.info) under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial (CC By-NC SA) licensing.
And cite:
Download the Moralizing Religion dataset here
Download the Moralizing Religion 'Retake' dataset here
*Archived versions of our moralizing religion data are available by request.
Please include the following text in any publication using these data:
This research employed data from the Seshat Databank (seshatdatabank.info) under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial (CC By-NC SA) licensing.
And cite:
Download the Consequences of Crisis dataset here
Please include the following text in any publication using these data:
This research employed data from the Seshat Databank (seshatdatabank.info) under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial (CC By-NC SA) licensing.
And cite:
Cliopatria is a comprehensive open-source geospatial dataset of worldwide states, political groups, events, and rulers from 3400BCE to 2024CE
Download the Cliopatria dataset from Zenodo
Information on the dataset can be found in the GitHub repository