Gift Giving and the ‘Embedded’ Economy in the Ancient World

edited by Filippo Carla and Maja Gori

Book cover: Gift Giving and the ‘Embedded’ Economy in the Ancient World

Extent: 437 pages

Publisher: Universitätsverlag Winter

Subjects: Business & Economics, Cultural Studies

Series: Akademiekonferenzen

Series volume number: 17

Language: English

Paperback (Out of print)

(June 2014)

ISBN: 9783825363314

6.06 x 9.21 inches

Price: $62.00

Out of stock

The idea of a ‘gift economy’ has a long tradition in social, economic and cultural studies, since Marcel Mauss’ seminal work. But in the latest years, anthropological, philosophical and economic research have underlined that nothing such as a ‘gift economy’ exists – at least if conceived as a phase preceding modern exchange – and that the ‘phenomenon gift’ must be understood not only in the different social and cultural contexts in which it is embedded, but also in its coexistence and connections to other forms of exchange, from commerce, to barter, to theft. This book analyzes from a multiplicity of perspectives, and focusing in particular the ancient world, the depth and complexity of such connections, the social norms and expectations connected to gift-giving, its economic aspects, as its role in the construction and consolidation of social hierarchies, dedicating attention not only to the praxis of exchange, but also to the role of the agents and of the exchanged object itself.

  • Edited by Filippo Carla
  • Edited by Maja Gori

"There is no doubt that anybody interested in the overall question of exchange in the ancient world -- be it in the context of the monetary system or that of symbolic gift-giving only -- should consult this anthology." --Anders Klostergaard Petersen, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2015.04.46