Research Article
Reading Hierarchy on the Silk Road-- The Ancient Sogdian Letters and Sogdian Social Structure
Abstract
Drawing on the Sogdian Ancient Letters alongside archaeological evidence and secondary scholarship, this study examines the hierarchical structure of Sogdian society and its formative role in shaping Silk Road trade and diaspora networks. It argues that the cross-regional success of Sogdian merchants rested on an aristocracy bound by kinship, which controlled commercial networks, credit systems, and political offices within diaspora communities. This work also considers the marginal position of non-elite Sogdians as to highlight the defining role of the aristocratic order. Overall, this work highlights the central role of the hierarchical nature of Sogdian society in both economic exchange and historical memory on the Silk Road.
Keywords: Sogdian Ancient Letters; Sogdian; Silk Road; Social Hierarchy; Diaspora Communities
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