Greeks Bearing Gifts: The Public Use of Private Relationships in the Greek World, 435-323 BC

Using models from social anthropology as its basis, this book takes a new look at the political role of personal relationships in classical Greece. It examines what friendship and exchange meant in classical Greece, how this differed from gift giving and exchange in non-Greek societies, and what the impact of friends and friendship was on domestic and interstate politics and how the differences in understanding affected Greek relations with their non-Greek neighbors.