The Marks of Nobility in the Archaeological Context

Abstract

Being part of the nobility entailed a number of visual marks which individuals used in order to emphasize their social and political status in the community in which they functioned, but also on a much broader plane. Clothing, military equipment, weaponry, jewelry – these were just some of the items which, apart from their practical purpose, also became marks of status. They testified to their owners’ taste, but also expressed their religious stance. Tus, identifying and studying such objects is important for gaining an in-sight into both the material and spiritual aspects of an aristocrat’s life. Along with written and visual sources, valuable information is provided by various archaeological data, certain contexts and objects. In that regard, the intention here is to consider the phenomena related to the ruling class of society and the forms in which that status is manifested in archaeological records, for the sake of more reliably recognizing the patterns and the overall evaluation of the indicative findings.