Section: Social Complexity
Subsection: Hierarchical Complexity

Settlement Hierarchy

Talking about hierarchical complexity, 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)
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
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
21
(Cahokia - Emergent Mississippian II)
1000 CE 1049 CE
3
3
None
22
(Icelandic Commonwealth)
1051 CE 1200 CE
2
2
None
23
(Tairona)
1100 CE 1300 CE
1
3
None
24
(Ghur Principality)
1200 CE
2
4
None
25
(Icelandic Commonwealth)
1201 CE 1262 CE
3
3
None
26
(Ottoman Emirate)
1299 CE 1380 CE
3
3
None
27
(Ottoman Emirate)
1381 CE 1402 CE
4
4
None
28
(Kingdom of Kaffa)
1390 CE 1797 CE
None
None
None
29
(Tairona)
1400 CE 1524 CE
3
4
None
30
(Spanish Empire II)
1716 CE 1814 CE
5
5
None
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