What can the exchange of gifts tell us about a society?

Essay from the year 2002 in the subject Archaeology, grade: 2i (B), Oxford University (New College), language: English, abstract: Exhange is the chief means by which things move from one person to another and it is an important way in which people create and maintain social hierarchy. It is a richly symbolic activity as all exchanges have got a social meaning which can be analysed and therefore gi...