Chapter

The ancient greek ἄγος (agos) and the warrior ethos

Evaggelia Kiosi

Jus post bellum : restraint, stabilisation and peace

Leiden ; Boston : Brill Nijhoff, 2020

p. 48-73

English

In ancient Greek culture law and ethics were not separated from one another. The ancient greeks' contribution to the rules of war constitute the first seeds of an international law recognized as superior to the law of the state, unwritten but understandable. Through the study of ancient Greek literature ἄγος (agos), a term describing ethical disapproval and divine retribution following a criminal act, can be frequently found. As part of the evolution of the rules of international law, this paper studies the way in which this term has influenced the evolution of the principles and rules of modern IHL and how it is interconnected with the notion of honour and the warrior ethos.

• Jus post bellum : restraint, stabilisation and peace / ed. by Patrick Mileham