Overview

Volume IV of The Cambridge History of International Law explores the existence and scope of international law in Antiquity, spanning approximately 1800 BCE to 650 CE. During this period, the territories surrounding the Mediterranean engaged in various forms of cross-border interaction, from trade wars to diplomacy; this traffic was regulated through a patchwork of laws, regulations and treaties. However, the existence of international law as a coherent concept in Antiquity remains contested. We can speak only about 'territories', which include empires, tribal lands and cities, not about 'countries' or 'nations' in the modern sense. Rather than offering an overview of legal relations between territories surrounding the Mediterranean in Antiquity, this volume presents a set of case studies centred around various topics commonly associated with the modern idea of international law. Together, these studies result in a novel but accessible perspective on the (in)existence of international law in Antiquity.

Full Product Details

Author:   Randall Lesaffer (KU Leuven and Tilburg University) ,  Jesper Eidem (University of Pisa) ,  Jacob Giltaij (University of Amsterdam) ,  Kaius Tuori (University of Helsinki)
Publisher:   Cambridge University Press
Imprint:   Cambridge University Press
Weight:   0.750kg
ISBN:  

9781108484930

ISBN 10:   110848493
Pages:   425
Publication Date:   31 May 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available, will be POD  
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Table of Contents

Preface Jesper Eidem, Kaius Tuori and Jacob Giltaij; Part I. International Law in the Ancient Near East (3rd millennium–500 BCE) Jesper Eidem: 1. The Ancient Near East and International Law: An Introduction Jesper Eidem; 2. Territory and jurisdiction in the Ancient Near East Stefano de Martino; 3. War and peace in the Ancient Near East Salvatore Gaspa; 4. Trade and communication in the Ancient Near East Cécile Michel; 5. Diplomacy in the Ancient Near East Bertrand Lafont; 6. Dispute settlement in the Ancient Near East Jakob Lauinger; Part II. International law in the Greek and Roman world (600 BCE–650 CE) Kaius Tuori and Jacob Giltaij: 7. International law in the Greek and Roman World Jacob Giltaij; 8. Territory and jurisdiction in the Greek and Roman world Kaius Tuori; 9. War and peace in the Greek and Roman world Emiliano Buis; 10. Diplomacy in the Greek and Roman world Emilia Mataix Ferrándiz; 11. Trade and Communication in the Greek and Roman World Philipp Scheibelreiter; 12. International law in the Persian empire? The Sasanian period Silvia Schiavo.

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Author Information

Randall Lesaffer is Professor of Legal History at KU Leuven in Belgium and Tilburg University in the Netherlands. He is the author of European Legal History: A Cultural and Political Perspective (2009) and co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to Hugo Grotius (2021). He is the editor-in-chief of the book series Studies in the History of International Law, an editor of the Global Law series and an editor of the Journal of the History of International Law. Jesper Eidem is Associate Professor of Ancient Near Eastern History in the Department of Civilisations and Forms of Knowledge at the University of Pisa. He has significant experience in epigraphic and archaeological work in the Middle East. He has published the early treaty documents from Tell Leilian in Syria (early 2nd millennium BCE). Jacob Giltaij is Associate Professor in the Department of Jurisprudence at the Amsterdam Law School, University of Amsterdam, and the Director of the Paul Scholten Centre for Jurisprudence. He has published extensively on both Roman law and legal history. Kaius Tuori is Professor of European Intellectual History at the University of Helsinki, and the Director of the Centre of Excellence in Law, Identity and the European Narratives. He has written widely on the history of Roman law and ancient international law in its reception.

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