A Survey on the Criteria for Social Stratification of Mariners in Iranian Southern Coasts (A.H 7-10th /A.D 13-16th Centuries)

A traditional seafaring and production style merged during the rule of Maliks of Hormoz Island، whose staff was composed of a set of mariners under Maliks of Hormoz Island. This network was later discontinued because of the hegemony of European colonial mercantilism and was replaced by a new system of seafaring. Within this traditional production style، there appeared a social stratification among the mariners due to some reasons including development in shipwright industry، ship ownership، progress in seafaring instruments، sea sciences، and the emergence of specialized and skilled methods in the traditional (Asian) seafaring، based on the native culture of the people of the Persian Gulf. This stratification developed as a result of the growth in the marine trade between 13-14th centuries. It seems that each of these strata moved towards specialization in its job، and this led to a traditional labor division. The present paper aims to analyze the criteria used forstratifying these mariners through recognizing and describing such a social stratification system. The method in this study is based on historical research method with a descriptive-analytic approach. The findings of the research indicate that mariners were stratified based on a series of factors including wealth، ownership over production equipment، naval knowledge and its skills، military power، and body labor.