History of Science and Engineering Annotation << Back THE STATUS CIRCASSIAN MERCHANTS IN XIV–XVII CENTURIES T.A. Dzughanov In the article the problem of identifying the estate of merchants in the Circassian society in XIV–XVII centuries. For the fi rst time an attempt is made to determine their status. It is established that the occupation of trade contradicted, fi rst of all, chivalrous etiquette Circassian nobility, and norms of behavior of any member of the society, was reprehensible, and impossible. This social rejection and denial of trafficking as a phenomenon refers to one of the most difficult to explain cultural archetypes of traditional Circassian society. It is noted that in the XVI–XVII centuries. Circassian merchants, like craftsmen - seasonal workers, well-known Russian sources. The conclusion is that under these conditions, the merchant turns into a kind of analogue of «Enduring strata» finalize in class which, in the Circassian society, seemed impossible. Keywords: Russia; Circassia; Cherkessk merchants; professional class; social stratum; trade relations; public acceptance; seasonal workers. Contacts: Е-mail: dzughanov@mail.ru Pp. 080-084.