Early bureaucracies used informal methods for recruiting officials. Positions were filled with eunuchs, passed from father to son, or were bought and sold. When did societies start implementing examination systems for selecting bureaucrats? Here's a survey of #Seshat data (1/9) 
The roots of the Chinese imperial examination system go to the Qin Dynasty (225-207 BCE), and a crude system with a yearly exam was in place in the Han period (202 BCE-219CE). #Seshat seshatdatabank.info/data/polities/…* (2/9)
The Han system served as a model for the Sui (581-617 CE) and Tang (618-907 CE) dynasties. However, before the Northern Song (960-1128 CE), entry to the bureaucracy was mainly based on kinship and recommendations, not exam results. #Seshat seshatdatabank.info/data/polities/… (3/9)
In Japan during the Heian period (794-1185 CE) minor officials were recruited through an examination system based on the Chinese model (Henshall 2012). #Seshat seshatdatabank.info/data/polities/… (4/9)
The bureaucracy of the Persian Achaemenid Empire (550-331 BCE) was based on "examination, training, stable pay system, and merit performance (Farazmand 2001)." #Seshat seshatdatabank.info/data/polities/… (5/9)
