Note on the Original Meaning of Greek Aitios

Greek poetical, judicial, philosophical, and medical texts of the classical period use the term αἴτιος, as well as several derivative terms, to indicate which persons, things, or facts are responsible for, or have caused, a state of affairs. The feminine substantive αἰτία, ‘responsibility’, seems to have appeared only in the early fifth century, as does the neuter substantive τὸ αἴτιον. The full history of this word group is still to be written, though important overviews have already cleared the path for such a study. My contribution to this volume has a far more modest aim and can only constitute a first minor step to that end: to put forth a hypothesis on the archaic meaning of the word, which slightly modifies the usual understanding of it as referring to whom or what ‘plays a part’ or ‘takes a part’ in a situation. I will do so by focusing on the Homeric texts and most especially on the Iliad. ©Routledge