Computers and the tapu

A computer was used in order to handle the large quantities of data available on villages from the survey registers. A sample of the computer records made for each of the villages in the sancak is presented here. The charts give the information for some of the villages which are discussed in the text.

Referring to the charts below: in the left-hand column, the possible categories relating to population, production, taxation, and distribution of revenues are listed. Not every register contained information for every category for each village. Across, the columns are labeled I, II, …, from the earliest to the latest register. In this way, the original data are presented in one standard format for every village. The charts are presented here to illustrate the nature of the data. Noting the systematic progression of figures and the consistency of many categories, we see how easy it is to ascribe a statistical value to the data which is basically lacking.

The data from the five surveys for all villages were also sorted by item. The sorted data, displayed by single item, highlight the distribution and quantity of individual categories of people or produce. The sort-charts for imams and olive oil are included after the village charts in Appendix 2. They offer a graphic demonstration of the changes and trends discussed.

No statistical computations were attempted. The computer facilitates the handling of large amounts of data, and the results allow one to identify basic changes in recording practices, concentrations of populations and crops, and some general trends in the countryside.