Eiréne nell’epica arcaica. Per una lettura delle origini di una idea politica

Where can we trace the roots of the idea of eiréne in Western political thought? Where did it originate? What meanings did it take on when it began to appear in Western literature? Starting from these questions, the article examines the archaic epics and, through an analysis of Homer’s and Hesiod’s works that starts from the lexicon to the political idea, it tries to reconstruct the first facets, the first meanings and the first connotations of a multifaceted and complex concept that has marked, marks and will still mark the political debate. Through the examination of the recurrences of the noun eiréne in the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Theogony and theWorks, the analysis sheds light on some of its peculiar features in the archaic epics, features that will be transmitted to the following centuries, contributing to enrich with meaning and significance one of the most crucial elements of organized living.