Nature and Technology of War - Research Paper Example

There was frequent raiding of neighbors and confiscation of territories, goods and women from other groups by fighting. War during these times was highly ritualized and was based on a number of taboos and practices which limited the number of casualties as well as length of conflict. A condition referred to as endemic warfare. During the earliest times of Homo erectus society (hunter-gathers) the population was scarce and low to avoid war. However, with the invention and development of throwing spear and hunting techniques, probable violence between groups was made costly, ordering conflict prevention and groups moving apart and far to lessen competition for resources which could cause war.

This describes the era of Paleolithic “warlessness” which took place until the emergence of the Homo sapiens. Starting around 12, 000 CE, war was transformed by the discovery of bows, slings and maces, according to Duiker and Spielvogel (2010). The bow appeared to be the most vital weapon in the development of prehistoric war as exposed the attacker to less risk. The Neolithic period which is associated with the emergence of farming has been evidently associated with war, for instance, the massacre of a rival tribe.

In this era before blockade weapons were developed to a high level of complex technology, fortification appeared to have been a successful method of protecting the community against invaders. Fortifications indicate that there was significant social organization in the societies of prehistoric people. Warfare at this period was also said to be more organized. The Nature and technology evolvement of war is more pronounced in the analysis of military historians. In the prehistoric era, there were a lot of conquest and movements with various technological innovations.

The kingdoms and empires were the central units controlling war and were only maintained via military forces. War was common during this period due to lack of enough agricultural ability. Weapons and armor were largely produced as they were known to last longer than artifacts. Use of weapons was seen as an indication of prosperity or virtue and thus weapons were mostly placed on monuments and tombs of great warriors. With the invasion of writing it was used to record events such as major battles and conquest.

Writing was also used for kings to boast of military conquest or victories through records. With the growth of the nation states, empires grew hence the increased demand for order and efficiency as well as increased recording. Some of the notable militaries in pre history include Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, early imperial Chinese ancient Romans, Carthagians and Persians among others, as stated by Hamblin (2006). The fertile crescent of Mesopotamia was the heart of many prehistoric conquests.

The philosophers of the Warning States era in china, Mozi and his followers invented diverse blockade weapons and blockade crafts. These were used to level fortified walls during a blockade of an opponent city. In most cases, the nature of war involved a kingdom fighting with another in order to overtake their land. As a result there were a lot of invasions. It also involved civil wars due to the increased power struggles within the empires generals. During the Dark Ages, when stirrups came into existence, war had forever changed.

Invasions were combined with technological, social and cultural