Provide a descriptive paragraph detailing the key features of the polity, which will help understanding the codes below.
| present |
| inferred absent |
| inferred absent |
| present |
| absent |
| inferred absent |
| unknown |
| present |
| inferred absent |
| present |
| inferred 0 km |
| Year Range | Proto-Haudenosaunee Confederacy (us_proto_haudenosaunee) was in: |
|---|---|
| (1300 CE 1565 CE) | Finger Lakes |
people. In certain areas, when villages coalesced due to warfare or other reasons, villages could reach a population of over 1,000. Some villages are believed to have grown to up to 1400 individuals, such as at the Lawson site in southwestern Ontario. [1] [2]
[1]: (Wright 1979: 15) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/MKRRCUSL.
[2]: (Hasenstab 2001: 464) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/EQZYAI2R.
in squared kilometers. km2. Bruce William Wright states that the Iroquois League held a territory of around 28, 270 miles squared. [1] Calculated into kilometers squared.
[1]: (Wright 1979: 16) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/MKRRCUSL.
people. "The total population of all tribes in Ontario is estimated to have been 60,000 and that in New York 40,000 - 50,000." [1]
[1]: (Hasenstab 2001: 454) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/EQZYAI2R.
levels. At the first level were semisedentary villages that the Iroquois lived in year round, but moved to new village sites every 10 to 25 years. The second level consisted of 1 to 4 villages that were part of tribal clusters, which could include chiefs in certain areas. [1]
[1]: (Hasenstab 2001: 453) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/EQZYAI2R.
Sources speak only of longhouses inside the palisaded villages of the Iroquois, and mention that most buildings were used for living in shared families or for farming. Most settlements were nothing more than "villages consisting of clusters of longhouses surrounded by palisades." [1]
[1]: (Hasenstab 2001: 453) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/EQZYAI2R.
There were the presence of shared storage rooms in the ends of longhouses, in a society in which "resources were controlled by clans according to egalitarian principles," which were often linked by trade routes that chiefs controlled. [1] [2]
[1]: (Wiliamson 1998: 15) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/ULF78LBI.
[2]: (Hasenstab 2001: 456, 463) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/EQZYAI2R.
By this period villages were often located on defensible hilltops, away from major routes, and were fortified "either by ravines or by artificial earthworks and multiple palisades," and even watchtowers. Also, "the placement of houses within a palisade may also have been motivated by defensive considerations" and to create defensible corridors. [1] [2]
[1]: (Snow 1994: 52) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TQ4KR3AE.
[2]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 92) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
By this period villages were often located on defensible hilltops, away from major routes, and were fortified "either by ravines or by artificial earthworks and multiple palisades," and even watchtowers. Also, "the placement of houses within a palisade may also have been motivated by defensive considerations" and to create defensible corridors. [1] [2]
[1]: (Snow 1994: 52) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TQ4KR3AE.
[2]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 92) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
By this period villages were often located on defensible hilltops, away from major routes, and were fortified "either by ravines or by artificial earthworks and multiple palisades," and even watchtowers. Also, "the placement of houses within a palisade may also have been motivated by defensive considerations" and to create defensible corridors. [1] [2]
[1]: (Snow 1994: 52) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TQ4KR3AE.
[2]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 92) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
By this period villages were often located on defensible hilltops, away from major routes, and were fortified "either by ravines or by artificial earthworks and multiple palisades," and even watchtowers. Also, "the placement of houses within a palisade may also have been motivated by defensive considerations" and to create defensible corridors. [1] [2]
[1]: (Snow 1994: 52) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TQ4KR3AE.
[2]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 92) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
By this period villages were often located on defensible hilltops, away from major routes, and were fortified "either by ravines or by artificial earthworks and multiple palisades," and even watchtowers. Also, "the placement of houses within a palisade may also have been motivated by defensive considerations" and to create defensible corridors. [1] [2]
[1]: (Snow 1994: 52) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TQ4KR3AE.
[2]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 92) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
By this period villages were often located on defensible hilltops, away from major routes, and were fortified "either by ravines or by artificial earthworks and multiple palisades," and even watchtowers. Also, "the placement of houses within a palisade may also have been motivated by defensive considerations" and to create defensible corridors. [1] [2]
[1]: (Snow 1994: 52) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TQ4KR3AE.
[2]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 92) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
By this period villages were often located on defensible hilltops, away from major routes, and were fortified "either by ravines or by artificial earthworks and multiple palisades," and even watchtowers. Also, "the placement of houses within a palisade may also have been motivated by defensive considerations" and to create defensible corridors. [1] [2]
[1]: (Snow 1994: 52) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TQ4KR3AE.
[2]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 92) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
By this period villages were often located on defensible hilltops, away from major routes, and were fortified "either by ravines or by artificial earthworks and multiple palisades," and included man made ditches and usually one to two gates. There were also"watch towers, reached by ladder, served as an outlook above the palisade wall." [1] [2]
[1]: (Snow 1994: 52) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TQ4KR3AE.
[2]: (Wright 1979: 20) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/MKRRCUSL.
Ornaments were usually made from bones and shells, and stonework was present in this period. Weapons were made of stone, wood, and bone. Not till after contact with Europeans and trade with them did Iroquois begin to use metals heavily in their weapons and ornaments. [1] [2] [3] [4]
[1]: (Hasenstab 2001: 453) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/EQZYAI2R.
[2]: (Snow 1996: 36) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TQ4KR3AE.
[3]: (Beauchamp 1968: 16) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/KJQLGMR6
[4]: Personal Communication with Peter Peregrine 2019.
Ornaments were usually made from bones and shells, and stonework was present in this period. Weapons were made of stone, wood, and bone. Not till after contact with Europeans and trade with them did Iroquois begin to use metals heavily in their weapons and ornaments. [1] [2] [3] [4]
[1]: (Hasenstab 2001: 453) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/EQZYAI2R.
[2]: (Snow 1996: 36) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TQ4KR3AE.
[3]: (Beauchamp 1968: 16) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/KJQLGMR6
[4]: Personal Communication with Peter Peregrine 2019.
Ornaments were usually made from bones and shells, and stonework was present in this period. Weapons were made of stone, wood, and bone. Not till after contact with Europeans and trade with them did Iroquois begin to use metals heavily in their weapons and ornaments. [1] [2] [3] [4]
[1]: (Hasenstab 2001: 453) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/EQZYAI2R.
[2]: (Snow 1996: 36) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TQ4KR3AE.
[3]: (Beauchamp 1968: 16) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/KJQLGMR6
[4]: Personal Communication with Peter Peregrine 2019.
Ornaments were usually made from bones and shells, and stonework was present in this period. Weapons were made of stone, wood, and bone. Not till after contact with Europeans and trade with them did Iroquois begin to use metals heavily in their weapons and ornaments. [1] [2] [3] [4]
[1]: (Hasenstab 2001: 453) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/EQZYAI2R.
[2]: (Snow 1996: 36) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TQ4KR3AE.
[3]: (Beauchamp 1968: 16) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/KJQLGMR6
[4]: Personal Communication with Peter Peregrine 2019.
Many sources mention thrown and ranged projectile weapons, but no mention of slings.
Bows and arrows became quite uniform for the Iroquois as early as 600 CE. Bows used were not composite bows, as they were often made from one piece of wood, and were often as long as the size of the individual carrying them. [1] [2]
[1]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 8) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
[2]: (Jones 2004: 48) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IPU9UA8I.
Used throwing spears as a weapon of war. [1]
[1]: (Otterbein 1964: 57) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/KJNNGAQX.
Bows and arrows became quite uniform for the Iroquois as early as 600 CE. Bows used were not composite bows, as they were often made from one piece of wood, and were often as long as the size of the individual carrying them. [1] [2]
[1]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 8) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
[2]: (Jones 2004: 48) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IPU9UA8I.
Many sources mention thrown and ranged projectile weapons, but no mention of the atlatl.
There were war clubs used by the Iroquois, often made of wood or bone with "bone or stone inserted at the head." [1]
[1]: (Beauchamp 1968: 16) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/KJQLGMR6
There had been much research done on Iroquois warfare, and there is no mention of swords used.
Spears were used by the Iroquois in close combat, and spear points have been found lodged in many human bones from this period. [1]
[1]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 6) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
Spears were used by the Iroquois in close combat, and spear points have been found lodged in many human bones from this period. [1] Sources do not mention polearms.
[1]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 6) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
The Iroquois used stone knives, and there are many knife marks found on human remains. [1]
[1]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 7) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
The Iroquois used stone axes, until later in the 17th century when their war axes were made of European metals. Their axes were also used for woodworking, butchering, and hide scraping. [1]
[1]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 8, 133) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
The Iroquois carried shields made of wood, bark, or leather. [1] [2]
[1]: (Otterbein 1964: 57) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/KJNNGAQX.
[2]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 159) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
The Iroquois often used arm and thigh armor, made from wood, cords, or deerskin. This is considered unique in this region. [1]
[1]: (Jones 2004: 59) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IPU9UA8I.
Though not common, some Iroquois wore helmets made of animal hide or wood. [1]
[1]: (Jones 2004: 60) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IPU9UA8I.
When the Iroquois went to war the "chiefs wore large plumes and warriors wore slat armor and carried leather or bark shields." The slat armor was usually made from wood. [1] [2]
[1]: (Engelbrecht 2003: 159) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/FJ3EAI76.
[2]: (Jones 2004: 59) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IPU9UA8I.