Criteria for singling out high-rank persons' burials(complex analysis of belt-sets of the 8th - 11th cc. From the mordvinian cemeteries)

Reconstruction of social systems and their hierarchical structure is one of thekey problems in investigation of early history. Shortage of reliable sources often makesresearchers to use specific data, in particular, concerning burial rite. In the burial riteof the 8 th - 11 th cc. belt sets were important, and these are often identified as indicationsof high social rank of the owner. The results of the present investigation evidence thatbelt-set in burial cannot be considered an indisputable criterion for assessment of socialposition of the dead. A series of belt-sets were divided into some groups and subjectedto the statistical processing and chemical and technological study. In certain social milieua decorated belt was used both as a mark of status and social group, and a utilitarian objectused by ordinary members of community.