Dangerous Gifts

Gender and Exchange in Ancient Greece

Nonfiction, History, Ancient History, Greece, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies
Cover of the book Dangerous Gifts by Deborah Lyons, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Deborah Lyons ISBN: 9780292742765
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: June 1, 2012
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Deborah Lyons
ISBN: 9780292742765
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: June 1, 2012
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

Deianeira sends her husband Herakles a poisoned robe. Eriphyle trades the life of her husband Amphiaraos for a golden necklace. Atreus’s wife Aerope gives away the token of his sovereignty, a lamb with a golden fleece, to his brother Thyestes, who has seduced her. Gifts and exchanges always involve a certain risk in any culture, but in the ancient Greek imagination, women and gifts appear to be a particularly deadly combination.

This book explores the role of gender in exchange as represented in ancient Greek culture, including Homeric epic and tragedy, non-literary texts, and iconographic and historical evidence of various kinds. Using extensive insights from anthropological work on marriage, kinship, and exchange, as well as ethnographic parallels from other traditional societies, Deborah Lyons probes the gendered division of labor among both gods and mortals, the role of marriage (and its failure) in transforming women from objects to agents of exchange, the equivocal nature of women as exchange-partners, and the importance of the sister-brother bond in understanding the economic and social place of women in ancient Greece. Her findings not only enlarge our understanding of social attitudes and practices in Greek antiquity but also demonstrate the applicability of ethnographic techniques and anthropological theory to the study of ancient societies.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Deianeira sends her husband Herakles a poisoned robe. Eriphyle trades the life of her husband Amphiaraos for a golden necklace. Atreus’s wife Aerope gives away the token of his sovereignty, a lamb with a golden fleece, to his brother Thyestes, who has seduced her. Gifts and exchanges always involve a certain risk in any culture, but in the ancient Greek imagination, women and gifts appear to be a particularly deadly combination.

This book explores the role of gender in exchange as represented in ancient Greek culture, including Homeric epic and tragedy, non-literary texts, and iconographic and historical evidence of various kinds. Using extensive insights from anthropological work on marriage, kinship, and exchange, as well as ethnographic parallels from other traditional societies, Deborah Lyons probes the gendered division of labor among both gods and mortals, the role of marriage (and its failure) in transforming women from objects to agents of exchange, the equivocal nature of women as exchange-partners, and the importance of the sister-brother bond in understanding the economic and social place of women in ancient Greece. Her findings not only enlarge our understanding of social attitudes and practices in Greek antiquity but also demonstrate the applicability of ethnographic techniques and anthropological theory to the study of ancient societies.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Environmental Studies of a Marine Ecosystem by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book Gardens of New Spain by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book Kurdish Awakening by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book Living with Coyotes by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book Men as Women, Women as Men by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book Latin Politics, Global Media by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book Gustav Dresel's Houston Journal by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book The Texas Cookbook by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book Selling the Silver Bullet by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book Dramatists in Revolt by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book The Texas Rangers by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book On the Lips of Others by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book Protestantism in Guatemala by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book Meet Me with Your Black Drawers On by Deborah Lyons
Cover of the book Woven on the Loom of Time by Deborah Lyons
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy