Scientists Say Warfare Began After People Formed Villages

Seattle Times ^ | 9-16-2003 | Dan Vergano

[blam]

Scientists say warfare began after people formed villages

By Dan Vergano
Gannett News Service

From ancient Troy to today's Iraq, warfare forms the backdrop of human history. But anthropologists, archaeologists and other scholars tend to disagree on war's origins: Some see it as an ailment of civilization and others say it has deeper roots.

Two anthropologists from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, suggest that although people could have come into conflict before civilization, archaeological remains of burning homes, fleeing refugees and slain captives show simple raids steadily maturing into full-scale warfare as humans settled into villages and society became more stratified.

Their report appears in today's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In their study, Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus examined the past 10,000 years of Mexico's Oaxaca (wah-HA-ka) Valley. Until Native American village life began there, even with corn's domestication around 5,400 years ago, no evidence of warfare emerges from the region.

But researchers find signs of dwellings burned in raids from 3,500 years ago, when settled life began.

Defensive palisades in the valley were rapidly followed by hieroglyphics depicting slain captives, fortresses and "the first skull rack," the researchers write. Dating of artifacts shows temples burned and captives taken in hieroglyphic descriptions, and a warrior elite was widespread throughout villages in the valley by 2,500 years ago.

"What is important is that the work has put radiocarbon dates on every stage in the evolution of war in Mexico from early village to empire," said Marcus.

Fighting did occur among simpler foraging societies before the settlement of villages, but it was sporadic and seldom led to full-scale warfare, said archaeologist Richard Blanton of Purdue University. "They could solve problems by simply getting up and leaving," he said.

But once they had invested the effort in constructing dwellings and other buildings, he added, "It was worth it to stand and fight."

[xJones]

I always knew it was the Village People.

[jwalsh07]

It takes a village or two to fight a war.

[Paul Atreides]

It takes a village.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

In other words, the collective, not the individual, causes wars.

Remember that the next time some liberal whines about the greater good, it takes a village, etc.

[Radix]

Scientists also say that "something came from nothing" or words to that effect!

[Paul Atreides]

In their study, Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus examined the past 10,000 years of Mexico's Oaxaca (wah-HA-ka) Valley. Until Native American village life began there, even with corn's domestication around 5,400 years ago, no evidence of warfare emerges from the region.

But researchers find signs of dwellings burned in raids from 3,500 years ago, when settled life began.

Now all is left is to find a way to blame it on white people.

[Malsua]

Burn the village! Then you don't need to raise the children.

Isn't this "statement" about like saying "When it rains, people will get wet!"? A chicken with the brain the size of a pea knows to walk under shelter.

[Paul Atreides]

The real stunner is that people died before the gun was invented.

[knews_hound]

The sad thing is that someone actually paid for a study to tell them this.

I mean I am no Anthropologist here but DUH PEOPLE !

Any amature student of human nature could have told them this.

Cheers,

knews hound

[BossLady]

And so began the 'tribal' mentality..... ;)

[TADSLOS]

This is why I could never be a member of the academic elite. I simply don't have the cognitive sense to figure this out on my own. It's a good thing these superior beings study these things and come to these conclusions or I just wouldn't be able to function in this elite world of ours./sarc/

[Malsua]

>>The real stunner is that people died before the gun was invented. <<

NOOO! Really! I thought that people killed people. I never knew that guns had part in it.

[TopQuark]

, no evidence of warfare emerges from the region. Of course none emerges: what if not building stricture could surviver to this day to indicate the warfare?

The very proposition does not seem to be bright: animals have warfare. This "theory" seems more of the Leftist mantra: no "stratificaton" (read: equality) --- no warfare. Peace on earth, now and forever.

[Paul Atreides]

Amazing, huh? I guess the swords were actually invented to trim hedges around the huts/castles. Spears were for really big shishkabobs. And, knives were only used for shaving.

[Truth666]

THIS HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME TO BE THE TRUTH

yet it has been censored ever sinde in schools. It starts already by the fact that it would contradict

evolution theory

P.S. - Actually it is not correctly formulated. It should read "not sustainable villages".

[SSN558]

The real stunner is that people died before the gun was invented.

the gun was a milestone in human conflict. For the first time a warrior could kill without ever exposing himself to death or injury, provided he had the bigest and newest gun.

Another thing that the gun played in a role in was equality of the masses. After Samuel Colt and others whom he had stolen ideas from made mass production of firearms feasible, the equation changed. Wayatt Earp could no longer get away with raping Miss Kitty, there were consequences. Even the little old lady from Pasadena was now endowed with balls.

So in a world of ICBM's the democraps still think the way to control people for their own detriment is by taking away the right of self defense. It ain't gonna work, the terrorists have WMD's now. That's progress.

[The Duke]

...And, in totally unrelated news, rain began after the sky formed clouds!

I hope we didn't pay too much for this "scienist" to reach this particular conclusion(?)

[Redwood71]

When they had nothing but the assault rock, and there were no gun makers, who got blamed for the death? Let the elite figure that one out. It will probably keep them busy for another 20 years.

[Hoverbug]

No way!

Wait! It was probably global warming or second hand smoke that killed em, so, OK, I believe you.

Hb