Home Region:  West Africa (Africa)

Mali Empire

1230 CE 1410 CE
EQ 2020  ml_mali_emp / MlMali*
Preceding Entity: Add one more here.
[continuity; Sosso Kingdom] [continuity]   Update here

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.
1360 CE 1549 CE Jolof Empire (se_jolof_emp)    [None]

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  General Description  
After the gradual decline of the Ghana Empire, the power vacuum left in the Sudanese region was filled with several smaller successor states, including the Sosso Kingdom. [1] In the early 13th century CE, several Malinke chiefdoms from the Upper Niger region united against the Sosso and slowly aggregated into what would become the Mali Empire. [2] This polity, also known as the Mandingo Empire, [3] was the largest of the West African empires, and flourished from the early 13th to the late 14th/early 15th century, at which point it started to decline. [4] [5] The apogee of the Mali Empire corresponds to the reign of Musa I of the Keita dynasty, the mansa (emperor) who reigned over 24 cities and their surrounding territories from 1312 to 1337. [6] His empire extended from the Atlantic to Gao and the Niger Inland Delta, and from the southern Sahara to the tropical forest belt. [3] Musa I is also famed for his patronage of Islam in Mali and for his lavish distribution of gold when he set off on a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1325. [7]
Population and political organization
The kings of the Keita dynasty sat at the apex of a confederation incorporating smaller kingdoms such as Ghana and Mema. [8] At its height, the empire comprised 12 provinces made up of smaller, village-centred clan units. [9] The mansa (emperor) was thus a ’chief of chiefs’, assuming the mantle of a supreme patriarch, and he could dispense justice personally. [10] He received advice from the griot, chosen from the Kouyate clan, who was also his spokesman and the tutor of princes. [10]
The aristocracy formed around the Malinke warrior class, [11] including an elite corps of cavalry. [12] The empire maintained a strong army, with garrisons stationed in the main towns. [13] The merchant class, known as Dyula or Wangara, [14] formed settlements at the margins of the forest regions, such Kankan in modern-day Guinea, Bobo Dioulasso in modern Ivory Coast, and Begho in modern Ghana. [15]
The cities of Mali were cosmopolitan, inhabited by people of every occupation and from every province of the empire, [16] and prospering from their participation in Trans-Saharan trade networks and the export of gold, ivory, salt and slaves. [17] Their characteristic mudbrick architecture, known as banco, can still be admired today. [18] This distinctive architectural style is one of many signs of Mali’s legacy in the region, as its language, laws and customs spread through West Africa. In the 15th century, however, a long period of gradual decline began. Timbuktu was captured by the Tuareg in 1433, [19] and a few decades of internal political struggles made it difficult for the emperors to maintain control over such a large region, leading to the contraction of the empire’s territory. [20]
The empire was densely populated, with a reported 400 towns in the region and a compact net of villages near the trading city of Jenné. [21] When the Andalusi diplomat Leo Africanus visited Niani in the 16th century, he described a thriving city of ’six thousand hearths’. [22]

[1]: (Conrad 2005, 33) David C. Conrad. 2005. Empires of Medieval West Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. New York: Facts On File.

[2]: (Conrad 2005, 31) David C. Conrad. 2005. Empires of Medieval West Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. New York: Facts On File.

[3]: (Diop 1987, 93) Cheikh Anta Diop. 1987. Precolonial Black Africa, translated by Harold Salemson. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books.

[4]: (MacDonald et al. 2011, 52) K. C. MacDonald, S. Camara, S. Canós, N. Gestrich, and D. Keita. 2011. ’Sorotomo: A Forgotten Malian Capital?’ Archaeology International 13: 52-64. http://doi.org/10.5334/ai.1315.

[5]: (Lapidus 2012, 592) Ira M. Lapidus. 2012. Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century: A Global History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[6]: (Conrad 2010, 45) David C. Conrad. 2010. Empires of Medieval West Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. Revised Edition. New York: Chelsea House Publishers.

[7]: (Niane 1984, 148) Djibril Tamsir Niane. 1984. ’Mali and the Second Mandingo expansion’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century edited by D. T. Niane, 117-71. Paris: UNESCO.

[8]: (Niane 1984, 158-60) Djibril Tamsir Niane. 1984. ’Mali and the Second Mandingo expansion’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century edited by D. T. Niane, 117-71. Paris: UNESCO.

[9]: (Niane 1984, 161) Djibril Tamsir Niane. 1984. ’Mali and the Second Mandingo expansion’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century edited by D. T. Niane, 117-71. Paris: UNESCO.

[10]: (Niane 1984, 160) Djibril Tamsir Niane. 1984. ’Mali and the Second Mandingo expansion’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century edited by D. T. Niane, 117-71. Paris: UNESCO.

[11]: (Niane 1975, 36) Djibril Tamsir Niane. 1975. Le Soudan Occidental au temps des grands empires XI-XVIe siècle. Paris: Présence africai­ne.

[12]: (Niane 1984, 162) Djibril Tamsir Niane. 1984. ’Mali and the Second Mandingo expansion’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century edited by D. T. Niane, 117-71. Paris: UNESCO.

[13]: (Niane 1984, 164) Djibril Tamsir Niane. 1984. ’Mali and the Second Mandingo expansion’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century edited by D. T. Niane, 117-71. Paris: UNESCO.

[14]: (Davidson 1998, 42) Basil Davidson. 1998. West Africa Before the Colonial Era: A History to 1850. Routledge: London.

[15]: (Oliver and Atmore 2001, 64) Roland Anthony Oliver and Anthony Atmore. 2001. Medieval Africa, 1250-1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[16]: (Niane 1984, 145) Djibril Tamsir Niane. 1984. ’Mali and the Second Mandingo expansion’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century edited by D. T. Niane, 117-71. Paris: UNESCO.

[17]: (Conrad 2005, 42) David C. Conrad. 2005. Empires of Medieval West Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. New York: Facts On File.

[18]: (Niane 1984, 150) Djibril Tamsir Niane. 1984. ’Mali and the Second Mandingo expansion’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century edited by D. T. Niane, 117-71. Paris: UNESCO.

[19]: (Ly-Tall 1984, 174) Madina Ly-Tall. 1984. ’The decline of the Mali empire’ in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century edited by D. T. Niane, 172-86. Paris: UNESCO.

[20]: (Conrad 2005, 46) David C. Conrad. 2005. Empires of Medieval West Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. New York: Facts On File.

[21]: (Niane 1984, 156) Djibril Tamsir Niane. 1984. ’Mali and the Second Mandingo expansion’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century edited by D. T. Niane, 117-71. Paris: UNESCO.

[22]: (Davidson 1998, 43) Basil Davidson. 1998. West Africa Before the Colonial Era: A History to 1850. Routledge: London.

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.
Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp) was in:
 (1235 CE 1410 CE) Niger Inland Delta
Home NGA: Niger Inland Delta

General Variables
Identity and Location Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Utm Zone 30 P 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Utm Zone 30 Q 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Original Name Mali Empire 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Capital 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Alternative Name 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Alternative Name 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Temporal Bounds Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Peak Years
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Duration
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Political and Cultural Relations Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Suprapolity Relations 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Supracultural Entity 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Succeeding Entity Mande States 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity continuity 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Preceding Entity
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Succeeding Entity
1360 CE 1549 CE
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Degree of Centralization 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Degree of Centralization 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Language Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Linguistic Family NO_VALUE_ON_WIKI 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Language 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Language 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Religion Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
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Religion Genus Islam 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Alternate Religion Uncoded Undecided 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Population of the Largest Settlement 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Polity Territory 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Polity Population 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Settlement Hierarchy 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Religious Level 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Military Level 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Administrative Level 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Professions Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Professional Soldier 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Professional Priesthood 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Professional Military Officer 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Specialized Government Building 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Merit Promotion Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Examination System Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Law Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Professional Lawyer 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Judge 1230 CE  1410 CE
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1230 CE  1410 CE
Court 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Market 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Irrigation System 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Food Storage Site 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Knowledge Or Information Building 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Road 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Port 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Canal Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Bridge Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
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Mines or Quarry 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Information / Writing System Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Written Record 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Script Present 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Nonwritten Record 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Mnemonic Device Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Scientific Literature Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Sacred Text 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Religious Literature 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Practical Literature 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Philosophy 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification 1230 CE  1410 CE
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History Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Fiction 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Calendar 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Information / Money Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
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Token 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Precious Metal 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Paper Currency Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Indigenous Coin 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Foreign Coin 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Article 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Information / Postal System Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
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Postal Station 1230 CE  1410 CE
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General Postal Service Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Courier 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Information / Measurement System Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Wooden Palisade Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position Absent Inferred 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Modern Fortification Absent 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Moat Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Fortified Camp Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Earth Rampart 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Ditch Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Complex Fortification Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Military use of Metals Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Steel Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Iron 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Copper Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Bronze Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Projectiles Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Tension Siege Engine Absent 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Sling Siege Engine Absent 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Sling Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Self Bow 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Javelin 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Handheld Firearm Absent 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery Absent 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Crossbow Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Composite Bow Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Atlatl Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Handheld weapons Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
War Club 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Sword 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Spear 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Polearm Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Dagger 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Battle Axe Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Animals used in warfare Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Horse 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Elephant Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Donkey Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Dog Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Camel Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Armor Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Wood Bark Etc Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Shield 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Scaled Armor Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Plate Armor 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Limb Protection 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Leather Cloth 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Laminar Armor Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Helmet 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Chainmail 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Breastplate 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Naval technology Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Specialized Military Vessel 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service Unknown Suspected 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Religion Variables
Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain 1230 CE  1410 CE
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Human Sacrifice Mali Empire (ml_mali_emp)
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Instability Data
Power Transitions