Warfare in Neolithic Europe

An Archaeological and Anthropological Analysis

Nonfiction, History, Military, Other, Ancient History
Cover of the book Warfare in Neolithic Europe by Julian Maxwell Heath, Pen and Sword
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Julian Maxwell Heath ISBN: 9781473879874
Publisher: Pen and Sword Publication: July 31, 2017
Imprint: Pen and Sword Archaeology Language: English
Author: Julian Maxwell Heath
ISBN: 9781473879874
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Publication: July 31, 2017
Imprint: Pen and Sword Archaeology
Language: English

The Neolithic ('New Stone Age') marks the time when the prehistoric communities of Europe turned their backs on the hunter-gatherer lifestyle that they had followed for many thousands of years, and instead, became farmers. The significance of this switch from a lifestyle that had been based on the hunting and gathering of wild food resources, to one that involved the growing of crops and raising livestock, cannot be underestimated. Although it was a complex process that varied from place to place, there can be little doubt that it was during the Neolithic that the foundations for the incredibly complex modern societies in which we live today were laid.

However, we would be wrong to think that the first farming communities of Europe were in tune with nature and each other, as there is a considerable (and growing) body of archaeological data that is indicative of episodes of warfare between these communities. This evidence should not be taken as proof that warfare was endemic across Neolithic Europe, but it does strongly suggest that it was more common than some scholars have proposed.

Furthermore, the words of the seventeenth-century English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, who famously described prehistoric life as 'nasty, brutish, and short', seem rather apt in light of some of the archaeological discoveries from the European Neolithic.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Neolithic ('New Stone Age') marks the time when the prehistoric communities of Europe turned their backs on the hunter-gatherer lifestyle that they had followed for many thousands of years, and instead, became farmers. The significance of this switch from a lifestyle that had been based on the hunting and gathering of wild food resources, to one that involved the growing of crops and raising livestock, cannot be underestimated. Although it was a complex process that varied from place to place, there can be little doubt that it was during the Neolithic that the foundations for the incredibly complex modern societies in which we live today were laid.

However, we would be wrong to think that the first farming communities of Europe were in tune with nature and each other, as there is a considerable (and growing) body of archaeological data that is indicative of episodes of warfare between these communities. This evidence should not be taken as proof that warfare was endemic across Neolithic Europe, but it does strongly suggest that it was more common than some scholars have proposed.

Furthermore, the words of the seventeenth-century English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, who famously described prehistoric life as 'nasty, brutish, and short', seem rather apt in light of some of the archaeological discoveries from the European Neolithic.

More books from Pen and Sword

Cover of the book The Battles of Coronel and the Falklands, 1914 by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book Chavasse by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book Dying for the Truth by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book STORMING ST. NAZAIRE by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book Leningrad Under Siege by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book German Tank Hunters by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book We Stormed the Reichstag by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book Life at Full Throttle by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book Decisive Battles of the English Civil War by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book T-34 by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book Napoleon's Polish Gamble by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book Life of Sir John Moore by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book Lost to the Sea by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet by Julian Maxwell Heath
Cover of the book The Ulster Tales by Julian Maxwell Heath
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy