The myth of the peace-loving "noble savage" is persistent and
pernicious. Indeed, for the last fifty years, most popular and scholarly
works have agreed that prehistoric warfare was rare, harmless,
unimportant, and, like smallpox, a disease of civilized societies alone.
Prehistoric warfare, according to this view, was little more than a
ritualized game, where casualties were limited and the effects of
aggression relatively mild. Lawrence Keeley's groundbreaking War Before
Civilization offers a devastating rebuttal to such comfortable myths
and debunks the notion that warfare was introduced to primitive
societies through contact with civilization (an idea he denounces as
"the pacification of the past").
Building on much fascinating archeological and historical research and
offering an astute comparison of warfare in civilized and prehistoric
societies, from modern European states to the Plains Indians of North
America, War Before Civilization convincingly demonstrates that
prehistoric warfare was in fact more deadly, more frequent, and more
ruthless than modern war. To support this point, Keeley provides a
wide-ranging look at warfare and brutality in the prehistoric world. He
reveals, for instance, that prehistorical tactics favoring raids and
ambushes, as opposed to formal battles, often yielded a high death-rate;
that adult males falling into the hands of their enemies were almost
universally killed; and that surprise raids seldom spared even women and
children. Keeley cites evidence of ancient massacres in many areas of
the world, including the discovery in South Dakota of a prehistoric mass
grave containing the remains of over 500 scalped and mutilated men,
women, and children
(a slaughter that took place a century and a half before the arrival of
Columbus). In addition, Keeley surveys the prevalence of looting,
destruction, and trophy-taking in all kinds of warfare and again finds
little moral distinction between ancient warriors and civilized armies.
Finally, and perhaps most controversially, he examines the evidence of
cannibalism among some preliterate peoples.
Keeley is a seasoned writer and his book is packed with vivid,
eye-opening details (for instance, that the homicide rate of prehistoric
Illinois villagers may have exceeded that of the modern United States by
some 70 times). But he also goes beyond grisly facts to address the
larger moral and philosophical issues raised by his work. What are the
causes of war? Are human beings inherently violent? How can we ensure
peace in our own time? Challenging some of our most dearly held beliefs,
Keeley's conclusions are bound to stir controversy.
