Сарматские вождества по данным археологии: Опыт критического осмысления
Sarmatian chiefdoms according to archaeology: The experience of critical reflection

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the concept of chiefdom as applied to the early nomads using the example of the Sarmatians. Chiefdom is currently one of the key concepts in the analysis of the political organization of early societies, including the Nomads. This concept appeared in Russian science with considerable delay, and currently its use is still problematic, including in archaeological science. This is a consequence of the fact that social archaeology has not yet fully emerged in Russian archaeology as a subdiscipline. The development of the concept of chiefdom is also influenced by the Marxist legacy in Russian science, through the prism of which, in many ways, the social processes of the past are still being understood. Meanwhile, for nomads, chiefdom is the basic institution that is a logical consequence of the development of hierarchically organized societies. The idea that chiefdoms are a stepping stone or an intermediate station on the historical path of state formation is incorrect for nomads. The lack of resources and the instability of nomadism lead to the fact that the state does not arise on the shaky basis of the nomadic social structure. It is chiefdom that is the very political model that is formed by nomads on a successful path to concentration of resources and power. An important feature of the chiefdom is its reproducibility and systematicity, the ability to withstand the unpredictability of the political situation in the steppe zone. The most important feature of chiefdoms, distinguished archaeologically, is the presence of an elite subculture embedded in the cultural and social context of the society in question.

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