Beyond the World Sample 30

During the first phase of the Seshat project (to 2018), in order to make data collection manageable given limited time and resources, we designed a stratified sample of polities from around the world and throughout human history. We selected 30 natural geographic areas (NGAs) across the globe for our initial worldwide sample, stratified by 10 world regions and three levels of antiquity of complex societies.

This World Sample 30 was designed to include as much variation among sampled societies as possible, and to ensure representation of different parts of the world. Since 2018, we have been “snowballing” from the original 30 NGAs for (eventually) a complete, contiguous coverage of the inhabited parts of the world. The Beyond the World Sample 30 regions are part of this ongoing effort.