THE BEGINNINGS OF WARFARE RESTRICTIONS IN INTERNATIONAL LAW – RULES OF WARFARE BETWEEN GREEK CITY-STATES AND THE FUNCTION OF THE CRITERIA FOR DISTINCTION OF WOMEN

Sa？etak Greek customary law of war drew a clear distinction between intra-Greek wars, i.e. the armed conflict between adversaries which shared cultural and religious ties, and wars with oppo- nents who were not part of the Ancient Greek world. The rules of warfare pertaining to conflict between Greek city-states contained rules for male soldiers, which included rules on sparing the lives of other Greeks, but also, those pertaining to women. This paper explores the par- ticipation of women in warfare, as well as the customary rules concerning rape, which can be deemed to have the force of law in armed conflict. In conclusion, a humanisation of warfare may be recognised, albeit bearing in mind the concept of international relations and factors that affected the ancient customary rules of warfare