ABSTRACT
The gift exchange system was the basis of all social interaction in the Homeric epics and it operated among strangers and friends, men and gods (see Finley, 1979; Langdon, 1987; 109; and von Reden, 1994). Although the Homeric epics are surrounded by many methodological problems, and the date of their composition as well as the society which they illustrate have been the subjects of debate (for example, Finley, 1979; Snodgrass, 1974; and Morris, 1986), Homeric poetry presents a world-view which might not correspond to a particular historical period. It does, though, provide a reliable picture of the world of Bronze Age and archaic Greece. Heroic or aristocratic life of that time was accompanied by an important circulation of prestige goods. Gift giving was part of the network of competitive honorific activity. One measure of man's true worth was how much he could give away in treasure. Heroes boasted of the gifts they had received and of those they had given as signs of their prowess. Metal objects, chariots, horses and women1 were all objects that changed hands as a result of war or other social circumstances. Their 'participation' in those events added to their intrinsic value, constituted their importance and gave them the status of 'honourable gifts of imperishable fame'.
