THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF THE POPULATION OF THE TOMSK OB REGION IN THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES (BASED ON MATERIALS FROM BURIAL GROUNDS)
Abstract
This paper is aimed at reconstructing the social structure of the population of the Tomsk Ob Region in the High Middle Ages. The source base is made up of materials from archaeological excavations of three burial grounds: Astrakhantsevsky burial mound, Basandaysky burial mound, and the burial ground at the mouth of the Malaya Kirgiska River. The composition of grave goods (in terms of quantity and quantity) and a burial structure served as criteria for the analysis. 212 graves of adults and children have been selected. As a result of the analysis, we have identified five adult groups and three children’s groups. The adult groups are as follows. Representatives of group I had the most complete set of weapons: sabers, spears, bows and arrows. Only this group of warriors had a protective suite of armour. There were horses in some graves. We identified one grave of this group in the Astrakhantsevsky burial mound, two in Basandaysky burial mound, and seven in the burial ground at the mouth of the Malaya Kirgiska River. Group II includes graves with rich goods, such as jewelry made of precious metals, precious and semiprecious stones. There are also fragments of silk. There are graves with weapons, horses or their ammunition. Group III is divided into two subgroups: III/1 - cavalry warriors, professionals; III/2 - infantry warriors, hunters and other groups of the population. Group IV includes poorer segments of the population, with a small set of household goods. Group V includes graves without goods. The children’s groups include: I - with rich goods, II - with scarce goods, III - without goods. Attention should be paid to the following circumstances: in several cases we identified persons buried in a mound as relatives or members of the same family. There are interesting observations concerning the location of mirrors. They were found in adult groups I, II, III, IV and children’s group I, II. However, no special group of people authorized to perform religious rituals was identified. This situation is likely to reflect the social reality of that period in the Tomsk Ob Region. The identified adult groups represent the social structure: group I - representatives of local military and administrative authorities; group II - rich people, group III - cavalry warriors, power base (together with representatives of group I, they are likely to constitute the military elite); group III/2 - militia in wartime and hunters, fishermen or herders in peacetime; group IV - poorer segments of the local population, small in size; group V - people without goods, the poor, possibly dependent people. Among children, group I (children of wealthy parents) and group II (children of low-income parents) stand out. As for children without goods, it is quite difficult to explain reasons for such burials.
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