Afrigid Culture

an archaeological culture of Khorezm dating back to the fourth through eighth centuries A.D. It was unearthed by S. P. Tolstov in 1937–40 and named after the Khorezmian Afrigid dynasty. The culture was formed in a period when the slaveholding system was in crisis and feudalism was taking shape in Khorezm. Local steppe-dwelling tribes played a major role in building the Afrigid culture. The culture is characterized by a decline of ancient classical cities. The predominating types of village settlements are feudal farmsteads grouped around castles and a communal house. By the close of the Afrigid culture period, new towns had begun to spring up in the form of settlements at the walls of the large feudal castles.