Have humans always fought and killed each other, or did they 
peacefully coexist until organized states developed? Is war an
expression of human nature or an artifact of civilization? Questions
about the origins and inherent motivations of warfare have long
engaged philosophers, ethicists, and anthropologists as they
speculate on the nature of human existence.

    In How War Began, author Keith F. Otterbein draws on primate
behavior research, archaeological research, and data gathered from
the Human Relations Area Files to argue for two separate origins.
He identifies two types of military organization: one that developed
two million years ago at the dawn of humankind, wherever groups
of hunters met, and a second that developed some five thousand
years ago, in four identifiable regions, when the first states arose
and proceeded to embark upon military conquests.

    In careful detail, Otterbein marshals evidence for his case that
warfare was possible and likely among early Homo sapiens. He
argues from comparison with other primates, from Paleolithic rock 
art depicting wounded humans, and from rare skeletal remains 
embedded with weapon points to conclude that warfare existed 
and reached a peak in big game hunting societies. As the big 
game disappeared, so did warfare—only to reemerge once 
agricultural societies achieved a degree of political complexity that
allowed the development of professional military organizations.
Otterbein concludes his survey with an analysis of how despotism 
in both ancient and modern states spawns warfare.

    A definitive resource for anthropologists, social scientists, and
historians, How War Began is written for all who are interested in
warfare, whether they be military buffs or those seeking to
understand the past and the present of humankind.  

_________________________________________________________

KEITH F. OTTERBEIN is a professor of anthropology at the University 
of Buffalo, State University of New York, and a director of the Human
Relations Area Files. A resident of Williamsville, New York, he has 
written many articles and three books on warfare, feuding, and capital 
punishment.


Number Ten: Texas A&M University Anthropology Series


What people are saying about this book

"Keith Otterbein has written a refreshingly detailed book on warfare. 
. . . deals with the complexity of human nature head on. Readers looking 
for simple answers will find their preconceptions challenged by evidence, 
whatever their views may be, for Otterbein’s empirical approach builds 
toward conclusions that are neither simple nor particularly comforting."
—Dean Snow, Penn State University

". . . a major contribution to the understanding of how and why warfare 
came into being."—Robert B. Edgerton, University of California