“Silver Age” of the Middle Оka. To the issues of social differentiation and location of the Ryazan-Oka archaeological culture at the intersection of river and land trade routes in the first millennium AD

The article addresses the reasons behind the Ryazan-Oka archaeological culture’s particular choice of habitat in the first millennium AD as a set of territorial advantages offered by the intersection of the Volga-Oka and Don trade routes. This territory was a key resource and raw material hub for Eastern Europe and a point of optimal contact (accessibility) with the Nistru/Dniester basin, Black Sea, Northern Caucasus, Kama, and Ural regions. All of this led to the formation of the Ryazan-Oka culture's areal, distribution, and influence during the Roman migrations and the Great Migrations. From the second half of the fifth to the middle of the seventh century, there was a period of stability in the microregion, the influx of a huge number of imports, implying the presence of exports from the Middle Oka. Against this background, social differentiation increased, which led to the formation of a more developed social system.