ABSTRACT
In ancient Rome the word “exile,” from the Latin exsilium, originally indicated a voluntary absence from the city. It was a right of Roman citizens, the so-called ius exsilii, and only later did it lose its voluntary characteristic and become punishment. It was such a drastic type of punishment that at times it even replaced the death sentence. Today, those banished from their country for political or religious reasons still go into exile. But this is not the type of exile I wish to discuss here.
