Briseis was the enslaved captive woman taken from Achilles by Agamemnon in the Iliad. Achilles had received her as a war prize after the Greek sack of Lyrnessus, a city allied with Troy. The poem presents captive women as prizes that could be assigned, exchanged, or seized by victorious warriors, a practice that drives the central conflict.
Agamemnon originally possessed Chryseis, the daughter of Apollo's priest Chryses. When Apollo sent a plague against the Greek army and Agamemnon was forced to return Chryseis, he demanded compensation. He chose Briseis, even though she had been awarded to Achilles. Achilles regarded the seizure as a public insult to his honor and withdrew from the fighting.
Briseis is often confused with Chryseis because both are captive women connected to the opening quarrel. Her removal begins Achilles' famous rage, while her return later helps mark the reconciliation between Achilles and Agamemnon. The poem gives Briseis a brief but emotionally important voice when she mourns Patroclus.