Peace in the Ancient World: Concepts and Theories
Raaflaub , Kurt A. 2016.
Raaflaub is a scholar who has taken great interest in the area of peace studies and ancient history, with this book being one of his most recent explorations. Concerned with the modern misconception of Ancient peace (the belief that peace was something that was either not thought of, or not thought of practically), Raaflaub explores different Ancient histories’ concepts of peace and the potential contexts in which a practical approach to peace could be explored. An important element of this book is the focus on the different ways that peace was considered in these ancient societies and the vitality of not projecting modern ideologies onto the past. In particular, Ancient countries such as Egypt, Rome and India had a belief that peace was gained when their respective ruler was in control, often of other lands. In these examples, a complex relationship between war and peace can be considered. Raaflaub also highlights how some practical beliefs around peace from today can be seen founded in ancient thought (thus expelling the idea that practical peace is a modern invention).
Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781118645086