War – A Short History Human Civilization and Warfare

War seems to be as old as humanity itself.

Some anthropologists once believed that humanity lived in a peaceful state that lacked large-scale warfare before the arrival of large civilizations and all its wealth inequality and manufacture of weapons. But archeological findings have shown over and over that warfare dates back as far as homo sapiens themselves (such as the Bronze Age Battle of Tollense River, about which we known nearly nothing, save that 5,000 soldiers fought each other with primitive weapons).

 

War, and the history of it, stretches back to ancient times, where conflicts were fought with rudimentary weapons and strategies. The earliest known forms of organized war emerged in Mesopotamia around 3000 BCE, with city-states battling for resources and dominance. Over millennia, war evolved alongside technological advancements. The rise of empires such as the Greeks, Romans, and Persians introduced large-scale conflicts with formidable armies and innovative tactics. The Middle Ages witnessed the dominance of knights and the development of siege warfare. The advent of gunpowder in the 14th century revolutionized warfare, leading to the rise of firearms and the transformation of battlefield dynamics. The Industrial Revolution further transformed war with advancements in artillery, transportation, and communication. The 20th century brought devastating wars on a global scale, marked by mechanized warfare, aerial bombings, and the introduction of nuclear weapons. Today, warfare encompasses a wide range of strategies and technologies, including cyber warfare and unmanned drones, shaping the evolving nature of conflicts in the modern world.

 

Throughout history, warfare has transformed social, political, cultural, and religious aspects of our lives. We tell tales of wars—past, present, and future—to create and reinforce a common purpose.Today’s guest is Jeremy Black, author of “A Short History of War.” We examine war as a global phenomenon, looking at the First and Second World Wars as well as those ranging from Han China and Assyria, Imperial Rome, and Napoleonic France to Vietnam and Afghanistan. Black explores too the significance of warfare more broadly and the ways in which cultural understandings of conflict have lasting consequences in societies across the world.