Heroism and Loot in the Iliad

Abstract

The Iliad takes for granted the material motives of war and its heroes’ pursuit of booty, exchangeable wealth as well as tokens of honor. The poem nonetheless prefers that the hero fight for epic praise, and it shows that a warrior’s acquisitiveness may get in the way of his glory. It explores the issue in a subplot built around the actions of Diomedes in books 5–6 and 10–11: the hero obtains horses and armor in alternation, and his desire for spoils is mirrored by Hector’s in book 17. The subplot contrasts with the main plot of Achilles, who refuses to be bought off by Agamemnon’s gifts and who for a while stands outside of material exchange. But such exchange—the prizes Achilles gives out at the funeral games in book 23, the ransom he accepts from Priam in book 24—enables the hero’s return to human community and dignifies the taking of loot itself.