ABSTRACT
The mass and unintentional death of civilians in wartime is a brutal reality of all wars ancient and modern. Aeschylus' Seven against Thebes, produced in 467 BCE, places the plight of civilians involved in a war at the centre of the play with a chorus of young Theban women fearing what will happen to them if their city falls. The term 'collateral damage' is defined by the US Department of Defense as 'unintentional or incidental injury or damage to persons or objects that would not be lawful military targets in the circumstances ruling at the time. Such damage is not unlawful so long as it is not excessive in light of the overall military advantage anticipated from the attack'. Actions that are now prohibited under a United Nations declaration and widely considered war crimes were practiced by soldiers in ancient Greece and openly discussed as instruments of punishment and intimidation against enemy states.
