Warfare: Origins

Leon Lane (LLANE01@UKCC.UKY.EDU)
Mon, 27 Jun 1994 15:50:14 EDT

Given the recent discussion of the violence in Rwanda and Scott Holmes recent
post regarding the origins of warfare, I thought I might post a few possible
"light" reading selections on the topic. I would also like to add that I feel
looking at pastoralists as the creators of warfare may be more than a bit erron
eous and is not supported by the ethnographic or archaeological record: Yanomam
o, Maya, Aztec, Mississippian, Inca, etc. to name just a few people who had war
as part of their culture without pastoralism.

Carneiro, Robert (1978) Political Expansion as an Expression of Competitive Exc
lusion. in Origin of the State. R. Cohen and E. Service, eds. pp. 205-223. Phil
adephia: ISHI.

Carnerio, Robert (1970) A Theory of the Origin of the State. Science 169:733-73
8.

Chagnon, Napolean A. (1990) Reproductive and Somatic Conflicts of Interest in t
he Genesis of Violence and Warfare among Tribesmen. in The Anthropology of War.
Jonathan Haas, ed. pp 56-76. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Chagnon, Napolean A. (1968) Yanomamo Social Organization and Warfare. in War: T
he Anthropology of Armed Conflict and Aggression. M. Fried, M. Harris, and R. M
urphy, eds. pp 109-159. Garden City, NY: Natural History Press.

Cowgill, George L. (1979) Teotihuacan, Internal Militaristic Competition and th
e Fall of the Classic Maya. in Maya Archaeology and Ethnohistory. N. Hammond an
d G. R. Willey, eds. pp 48-72. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Davie, Maurice R. (1929) The Evolution of War: A Study of it Role in Early Soci
eties. Port Washington, NY: Kennikat Press.

Demarest, Arthur A. (1978) Interregional Conflict and "Situational Ethics" in C
lassic Maya Warfare. in Codex Wauchope: A Tribute Roll. M. Giardino, B. Edmonso
n and W. Creamer, eds. pp 101-113. Louisiana: Tulane Univ..

Ferguson, R. B. (1990) Explaining War. in The Antrhopology of War. J. Haas, ed.
pp 26-55. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.

Ferguson, R.B. (1984) Studying War. in Warfare, Culture and Environment. R.B. F
erguson ed. pp. 1-64. Orlando: Academic Press.

Ferrero, G. (1972) Militarism. New York: Garland Pub..

Hassig, Ross (1992) War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica. Berkley: Univ. of C
alifornia Press.

Lesser, Alexander (1968) War and the State. in War: The Anthropology of Armed C
onflict and Aggression. M. Fried, M. Harris and R. Murphy eds. pp 92-96. Garden
City, NY: Natural History Press.

Clarkson and Cochran, eds (1941) War as a Social Institution. New York: Columbi
a Univ. Press.

L. Bramson and W. Goethals, eds (1964) War: Studies from Psychology, Sociology
and Anthropology. New York: Basic Books.

Toynbee, A. J. (1950) War and Civilization. New York: Oxford Univ. Press.

Vaghts (1959) A History of Militarism: Civilian and Military. New York: Free Pr
ess.

Webster, David L. (1975) Warfare and the Evolution of the State: A Reconsiderat
ion. American Antiquity 40:464-470.

Wright, Q. (1942) A Study of War. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.


This should give anyone interested in the topic or suffering from insomnia some
material to start with for now. I strongly suggest not ignoring some of the ol
der selections on this list. It is truly amazing some of the insights (and the
blunders are often understandable for the times) these earlier works made in th
e field. If folks are interested in further discussion of warfare I'd be happy
to contribute some thoughts on the topic.

Leon