SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF SOGDIAN SOCIETY: STRATA AND THEIR MUTUAL RELATIONS

Abstract: This article analyzes the social structure of Sogdian society, its major strata and the character of their mutual relations from a historical and cultural perspective. Particular attention is paid to rulers and aristocrats, the merchant elite, priests, farmers, artisans, servants, slaves and diaspora communities. On the basis of Sogdian city-states, caravan trade, kinship networks, religious life and documentary-legal relations, the article reveals economic, political and social connections between different social groups. It is argued that Sogdian society was not a closed and static hierarchy, but a dynamic social system shaped by urban culture, long-distance commerce and interregional communication.