The classifications about the social structure of the ancient Turkish community that have been made so far are in contradiction with one another in respect of both structures and identifications. The reasons for these contradictions include the fact that each researcher was occupied only with the specific historical period of his/her research and that these researchers were based on the specific Turkish groups and peoples in their researches. It is beyond doubt that the Turks had undergone some structural changes in various regions and in different periods and therefore, they used different names and identifications thereof. However, we have the opportunity to determine the social structure within the most recent Turkish culture that we call as the Steppe culture. In relation with this point, the Gok-Turk community will probably constitute the beginning point about the social structure. The descriptions in relation with the social structure that were used in the Orhun inscriptions that are our main resources will illuminate this issue.
According to the Orhun inscriptions, it is possible to determine the structure of the Turkish steppe community as follows:
Oguş-family (?)
Urug-lineage, (family?)
Bod-branch, tribe
Ok-tribe (subject to a political organisation)
Bodun-Tribal union (either independent or dependent in respect of policy)
İl- Independent community, state, empire.
Family that was the first social structure within the ancient Turkish society was the core of the entire social structure. It was based on blood tie among the members.
Although the ancient Turkish family seemed to have the form of "broad family" ("lineage" in Altaic people that must have had the least influence despite all of the external effects in the 2nd half of the previous century relative to the other Turkish groups in the other regions and "usa" in Yakut people and "aul" in Khirghiz people), it is much sensible that the Turkish family was composed of a "nucleus family". Actually, the Turkish family was different from the family in the ancient Greece (genose), in Roma (gens) and in Slav people (zadruga). The partnership is only restricted to the pastures and the animal herds.
The terms of "evlenme" (marriage)" or "evlendirme" (give in marriage) that are used for wedlock in Turkish language (able: in Gok-Turk inscriptions) indicate that either the boy or the girl got separated from the family home and founded a different and separate house (family). Generally, as it has been known, the intermarriage (exogamy) and the patriarchy were dominant in the Turkish family. The sons that got married would take their shares and separate from the family in order to establish a new family. The family home would remain to the youngest son. "Leviratus" (the type of marriage with the widow of the late brother and the widow young stepmother who had no children) was present among Turks and generally, monogyny (monogamy) was observed.
The term of "urug" that was used once within Orhun inscriptions has been a term with the meaning of "offspring, relatives, generation" that was mostly used within the Uighur texts, in the works of Kasgarli and in several modern dialects. This word is used with the meaning of "relatives" on the contrary to the word of "yat, cat" (foreigner) in Mongolian language.
The "boy" (tribe) was composed of the union of families or lineages and the head of the tribe was a bey that was charged with the protection of the public order within the tribe, the organisation of the justice and rights and the defence of the benefits of the tribe with armed forces in case of necessities. Accordingly, the tribe was a union with political characteristics. The tribes would have specific lands and warrior forces. The properties and animal herds pertaining to the tribe were distinguished from those of the other groups (Each tribe among 24 Oguz tribes had a specific seal peculiar to itself). The persons that were the leaders of the similar institutions in the ancient Rome, ancient Greece and the Arabian people in the age of ignorance were the religious leaders at the same time. However, these Turkish beys did not have a religious function.
The names of the ancient Turkish tribes indicated these political and civil characteristics of the tribes. These names were classified as follows: The names related with the military organisation and administrative institutions (for example: Çur, Yula, Kapan, Külbey, Yabagu, Yeney, Çepni, Taryan, İğdir, Köbök, etc.).
The names that came into existence as a result of the military-political events (for example: Hazar=Kazar (Khazar), Sabar, Kabar, Kesi, Bulgar etc.). The names with the meanings of great, famous, wealthy (for example: Bayındır, Bayat, Çavuldur, Tabgaç etc.).
The names with the meaning of man or human being (for example: Hun, Agaçeri, Kumeri, Mogyeri=Magyar etc.). The names indicating the state of affairs, attitudes or weather conditions (for example: Argu, Argın, Çuvaş, Karluk, Yağlakar, Boran, Kürt etc.).
The names expressing power, strength, bravery, virtue (for example: Türk, Kayı, Kangar, Karan Gyormati, Ertim=Erdem, Kınık etc.). The identifications in reference with the number of the tribes that had joined to the tribal union (for example: On-ok, Dokuz-oğuz, On-Uygur, Üç-Karluk, Utur-gur= 30 Ogur, etc.). The name of Oguz (Ok+z=Ok'lar= Arrows) had the meaning of the Turkish tribes that had established a specific political organisation.
As it can be seen, the Turkish tribes and generally the Turkish political institutions were not identified with the personal names (the state names such as Seljuk, Ottoman, etc. and the small community names such as Hacılu, Kızıl Ahmedlu, Câferlu, etc. and the names ending with the suffix of +oglu such as Aydın-oğlu, İsfendiyar-oğlu, etc. are not the outputs of the Turkish culture. These are the names that had come into existence under the influence of Arabian and Farsi languages in the further periods.).
The beys of the tribes would come into power through election among the leaders of families or lineages that were famous with their bravery, financial power and honesty.The electoral committee must have been composed of the representatives of the families and lineages that formed the tribe. This committee seemed like the first small-scaled prototype of the "councils" (counsellor's board) that were present in the ancient Turkish states.
The tribal union was called as "bodun". There was a "bey" or khan ("kaan") as the leader of this tribal union and this union might be independent or dependent to a province in respect of policy. The tribal unions were generally composed of the tribes of the same lineage and religion. Therefore, the word of bodun can be considered with the meaning of "nation". The meaning of the word of "Ulus" that was only once cited within the inscriptions is not so clear in the ancient periods. However, we have observed this word in the period of the Turkish-Mongolian era with the meanings of
1. Nation,
2. Country,
3. State apart from its extensive concept.
Il: "Il" (Province) that constituted the highest level of the political organisation in the ancient Turkish society had the meaning of "regularly organised nation that is dependent in respect of policy" according to Thomsen V. This word meant "country, empire = Reich and "power or government" according to A.V. Gabain. Similarly, it had the meaning of "organised state, empire, political sovereignty" according to R. Giraud.
According to all these researchers, the ancient Turkish "Il" was a body politic with its lands, people and administrative and legal organisations that was charged with the tasks of the protection of its country and people and the possession of a strong social structure. In order to understand the Turkish "Il" in details, its characteristics in respect of the state conditions can be determined as follows: