Pages: 105-111

The sword is an indicator of the social status of the buried. The analysis of the funeral rite of the burials with swords belonging to the Sauromatian culture of the Lower Volga region gives the opportunity to reconstruct the social structure of the Sauromatian society of 6th—4th centuries BC. Sword acts as an exponent of the social status of the deceased. Sauromatian burials with swords can be divided into three categories: very rich burials of the tribal leaders, burials of the nobility and burials of men — professional warriors with different status, including slaves. Swords are never found in female graves. Hence, for the Sauromatian culture of the Lower Volga region, sword is an exponent of a warrior male burial, often accompanied by a high social status.

Keywords: Sauromatian archaeological culture, Lower Volga region, 6th —4th centuries BC, sword, social status, nomadic society, nomadism

Information about author:

Pavel Sokolov (Volgograd, Russia). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Volgograd State University. Universitetsky Pr., 100, Volgograd, 400062, Russia.
E-mail: [email protected]