Mohammad Shahadat Hossain iD,
Received 23 May 25; Accepted 19 November 25; Published December 2025
DOI
https://doi.org/10.65626/joird.v4i2a2
Article Info
Volume: 04 Issue: 02 pp. 16-31     
CC BY This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Abstract

This study explores the legal traditions and practices governing the sea in ancient Greek civilization, situating them within the broader development of maritime law. The ancient Greeks, whose prosperity and security depended heavily on maritime trade, fishing, and naval power, developed a range of customs and regulations that shaped interactions across the Aegean and Mediterranean. Drawing on literary sources, inscriptions, and legal codes, this research examines how Greek city-states addressed issues such as piracy, shipwrecks, commerce, and the allocation of marine resources. Special attention is given to the tension between communal notions of the sea as a shared space (koinē thalassa) and the efforts of poleis like Athens to assert jurisdiction over harbors, shipping routes, and fisheries. By highlighting both the limitations and innovations of Greek maritime legal thought, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how ancient societies conceptualized sovereignty, access, and responsibility at sea. Furthermore, it argues that Greek practices laid important intellectual foundations for later Roman codifications and, ultimately, for early modern debates on freedom of the seas. This reassessment situates Greek maritime law not as an isolated phenomenon, but as a formative stage in the long trajectory of the international law of the sea. The aim of this study is to examine the legal frameworks, maritime practices, and regulatory principles that governed seafaring and trade in Ancient Greek civilization, highlighting their influence on the development of early maritime law. The findings reveal that ancient Greek maritime law operated largely through customary norms and commercial practice, with influential contributions from maritime centers such as Rhodes that shaped principles later reflected in Roman and Byzantine legal traditions. The study further finds that doctrines relating to freedom of navigation, shared maritime risk, and specialized dispute resolution mechanisms constituted enduring legal innovations that informed subsequent Mediterranean maritime governance.

Keywords: Ancient Greek Maritime Law, Navigation Rights, Trade Regulation, Seafaring Practices, Early International Law, Conflict Resolution at Sea

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Author Biographies

Mohammad Shahadat Hossain Assistant Professor (adjunct), Uttara University, Dhaka, Email: [email protected]

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