Maritime Law Still Uses Rules from Ancient Rhodes

Imagine an ancient merchant vessel caught in a violent Mediterranean storm. To save the ship from sinking, the captain orders the crew to jettison the heaviest cargo. But who bears the financial loss of that sacrificed freight? According to a legal principle established over 2,800 years ago, the answer is everyone involved. This concept, known as "general average," ensures that all parties with a financial stake in the voyage—the ship owner and all the cargo owners—proportionally share the cost of any voluntary sacrifice made to save the collective venture. It was a foundational form of shared risk management for the dangerous world of ancient sea trade.

This remarkably durable doctrine comes from the Lex Rhodia, or Rhodian Sea Law, developed by the dominant maritime power of Rhodes around the 8th century BCE. The Rhodians’ rules were so practical and fair that they became the standard for commerce across the Mediterranean. Their principles were later adopted and codified by the Romans, most famously in the Digest of Justinian, which helped preserve the law for subsequent European legal systems.

Even in the modern era of GPS and massive container ships, general average remains a vital part of maritime law. When a fire breaks out on a vessel or it runs aground, and cargo must be intentionally damaged or jettisoned to save the ship and the remaining goods, this ancient Rhodian principle is invoked. While the calculations now involve complex insurance adjustments, the core idea of equitable, shared sacrifice first conceived by ancient Greek mariners endures as a cornerstone of global shipping.