Fra guerra e pace. Note sul lessico greco degli accordi di tregua e armistizio

The essay studies the various terminology used, in the greek literary and epigraphical sources – from the archaic age down to Roman times –, to express the different concepts of “truce” and “armistice” in interstate relations. The survey, which includes a brief analysis of many words (such as horkion/horkia, spondai, diallage, synthekai, logos and ekecheiria) that appear sometimes to indicate a temporary agreement, but may be used also to express other kind of covenants, focuses especially on the couple anochai/anachoke, which is attested, from the classical period to the Roman era, to indicate only truces and/or armistices. The analysis aims at demonstrating the increasing “specialization” of the Greek vocabulary related to interstate relations, especially after the Roman conquest, which proved to be a turning point in the development of a more precise and technical language of diplomacy, to avoid – or, sometimes, to exploit – mutual misunderstandings.