I have read that domestication of horses was an inflection point for the economics and violence in the bronze age societies. A horse makes raiding distant villages a possibility as a horse can outrun humans. These tribal raids turn into organised warfare to the extent that steppe cultures had one of the first cities to be built with fortifications. And all of this happened only the last 5000 years ago.
The history of violence isn’t as old as it’s claimed to be and it is definitely not innate but something we discovered on the way. I am also not trying to argue that all humans aren’t violent but maybe the steppe people are. You find various examples of guest-host relationships in steppe cultures. Even the word guest and host etymologically traces its roots to Proto Indo European, the language of steppe nomads!
I have read that domestication of horses was an inflection point for the economics and violence in the bronze age societies. A horse makes raiding distant villages a possibility as a horse can outrun humans. These tribal raids turn into organised warfare to the extent that steppe cultures had one of the first cities to be built with fortifications. And all of this happened only the last 5000 years ago.
The history of violence isn’t as old as it’s claimed to be and it is definitely not innate but something we discovered on the way. I am also not trying to argue that all humans aren’t violent but maybe the steppe people are. You find various examples of guest-host relationships in steppe cultures. Even the word guest and host etymologically traces its roots to Proto Indo European, the language of steppe nomads!