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<blockquote data-quote="Sepulchrave II" data-source="post: 8548829" data-attributes="member: 4303">Hospitality laws are fascinating. In Ancient Greek ξένος (xenos) means both &quot;guest&quot; - with connotations of giving and receiving hospitality - and &quot;foreigner/stranger.&quot; The guest who is received in a house for the first time is given precedence over its habitual guests with whom a greater familiarity exists. In the same way, diplomatic etiquette forbids placing a countryman of the host in the place of honour if foreigners are present; hospitality laws, in fact, still form the basis of modern ambassadorial protocols - particularly diplomatic immunity.Ancient Arab custom forbade asking the guest who he was, where he came from, or where he was going - cf. Odysseus being asked such questions only as he was leaving Phaeacia.In antiquity a stranger possessed no status in law or religion, and it was necessary for him to have a patron in order to gain the protection of the local laws and gods. To offend the newcomer was to offend his patron, since by the code of hospitality, the two were allied in this way.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Sepulchrave II, post: 8548829, member: 4303"] Hospitality laws are fascinating. In Ancient Greek ξένος (xenos) means both "guest" - with connotations of giving and receiving hospitality - and "foreigner/stranger." The guest who is received in a house for the first time is given precedence over its habitual guests with whom a greater familiarity exists. In the same way, diplomatic etiquette forbids placing a countryman of the host in the place of honour if foreigners are present; hospitality laws, in fact, still form the basis of modern ambassadorial protocols - particularly diplomatic immunity. Ancient Arab custom forbade asking the guest who he was, where he came from, or where he was going - [I]cf.[/I] Odysseus being asked such questions only as he was [I]leaving[/I] Phaeacia. In antiquity a stranger possessed no status in law or religion, and it was necessary for him to have a patron in order to gain the protection of the local laws and gods. To offend the newcomer was to offend his patron, since by the code of hospitality, the two were allied in this way. [/QUOTE]

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