The early history of interpersonal violence has long been debated. According to a study published in Scientific American, there are two prevailing theories. One suggests that violence increased as humans transitioned from hunter-gathering to settled communities, while the other claims that violence was already rampant in early communities before the advent of farming led to cooperation and peace. However, a new study of 3,539 human remains from Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan over a span of 12,000 years provides a more nuanced view, according to Newsweek. European researchers conducted the study to shed light on violence during a time when written records are scarce, and their findings do not fit neatly into either narrative.
The researchers focused on weapon-related wounds and trauma to the head, specifically injuries unlikely to be caused by falls. They discovered that historic human conflict peaked during the Chalcolithic or Copper Age from 4,500 BCE to 3,300 BCE. This was followed by a significant decline during the Early and Middle Bronze Ages (around 3,300 BCE to 1,500 BCE) and another increase during the transition to the Iron Age (around 1,200 BCE to 590 BCE). The Chalcolithic period, characterized by the rise of early nations, saw people congregating in cities at a time when metal weapons were replacing wooden and stone implements, as noted in Scientific American.
The study, published in Nature Human Behavior, suggests that crowding and rising inequality may have triggered conflicts as groups appropriated resources from others. Violence likely decreased during the transition to the Bronze Age as proto states evolved into organized societies with legal systems and bureaucracy capable of settling conflicts within their populations. However, state-based violence resurfaced during a period defined by economic decline, forced migrations due to a prolonged drought of 300 years, and an upgrade in weapons from bronze to more durable iron. Scientific American warns that these findings serve as a stark warning for our current climate-challenged planet.
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