Berseneva N.A.

Key words: Sargat culture, Early Iron Age, Trans-Urals and Western Siberia, archaeology of age group.
The article is concerned with the status of age groups in ancient societies. Paleo-societal studies seldom focus on the older age group (over 45 years old), mainly because its representatives are seldom encountered in burial complexes. Analysis revealed that in the Early Iron Age “elderly” Sargat men and women retained their social status and gender identity, and probably continued to be active members of the community. All the testimony indicates that the status of the individual in Sargat society was hereditary, which is typical of hierarchical societies.