Tbilisi State University
PhD, Associated Professor
Tbilisi, Georgia
Abstract
The problem of social structure of the Trialeti culture considered as not yet comprehensively analyzed topic. Our current attempt is to deepen in details to the social structure of the mentioned culture, assigned as the developed, i.e. II phase of the Middle Bronze Age. For understanding of this issue it is necessary to base on excavated evidences, which curently gained from the burial sites of the South Caucasus. From this point most informative and essencial seems the burial constructions, funeral tradition and great variety of artifacts, evidently pointing that social structure of the trialetian society was quite complicale.
All evidences indicating about the existence of following social layers: ruler and connected with him elite, among which might be separated secular and cultic-religious (priest) stratas. Separately distinguishable those part of population: cattle-breaders and farmers, who produced the material well-being.
Trialetian artifacts indicate in favor of various fields of craftsmanship. Consequently, available to diferentiate craftsments who were busy in ingineering, woodworking and metal producing. Bronze arifacts evidently proofs about the craftsmen layer specially qualified in metal produsing (weapons, tools) and those, who were busy by gain of important sources and their reprocessing.
Numerous facinating ceramics indicate that pottery making was a privileged category of craft. Separately might be differentiated the high artistic craft, which proves about layer, specialized in gold working. Variety of precious metal toreutics and jewelry elucidate that gold working was the separated field. Among them recorded some artefacts, which reflects Near Eastern innovative stylistic and technical methods adopted from an alien cultural tradition. They indicate about existence so-called “traveler craftsmen”, who shared an achieved alien style and tried their implementation in local cultural tradition.
All evidences revealed by excavations of Sakdrisi gold mine, proves that exploitation of it, which was began in Early Bronze Age Kura-Arax Culture, was continuously developed during the Middle Bronze era. This assumption evidently illustrates precious assemblages of Bedeni and Trialeti Cultures. Process of distribution and exchange of the Near Eastern and local traditional artifacts required an activity of group, who were busy with trading. Unless of this social stratum, an appearance of wide range alien style samples in South Caucasian cultural tradition seems unexplainable.
All considered evidences indicate about the deep social stratification of trialetian society, the different layers of which were integrated in various separate spheres of fields.
Keywords: Middle Bronze Age; social stratification; social markers.