Peculiarities of the Legal Status of the Individual in the International Law of the Ancient Era

Abstract

Introduction. The legal status of the individual in international law is associated with the modern development of the human rights concept, the growing role of the individual as a subject of international relations, and the formation of mechanisms for their protection. At the same time, historical analysis demonstrates that even in antiquity there existed customary norms regulating the position of foreigners, captives, envoys, refugees, which later became the foundation for humanitarian and diplomatic norms.

Summary of the main findings. The article emphasizes that in the international law of the ancient era, there were prototypes of elements of international legal institutions. The authors examine the status of the individual within the Ancient Mesopotamian legal systems and demonstrate that the individual held the status of an object of influence, determined by social origin and the political context of the region, and other factors. The formation of the functional significance of an individual’s status in Ancient Egypt is identified. Special attention is given to the gradual evolution of this status – from being an object of political control to becoming a participant in foreign economic activity and a recipient of legal protection. It is noted that Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire played a key role in shaping the legal concept of an individual’s status.

Conclusions. Thus, in the ancient era, the individual did not possess full international legal personality. This period marked the beginning of the institutionalization of the individual’s presence in the international legal order. The legal position of the individual in the international law of the ancient era can be described as transitional between complete legal dependence on the state and the emergence of autonomous legal standing.