Compose a readable and historically accurate and relevant essay on the nature, origin, and evolution of warfare from prehistoric times to the creation of the Persian Empire. Maximum length of 10 pages in 12 point type double-spaced.
Be sure to engage the varying arguments about whether or not the types of collective aggression that we call war is instinctual or culturally-created, and you may also wish to weigh in on the argument that you think has the greatest validity. Include the evidence for warfare (or for something less than organized and planned collective violence) among Paleolithic hunter-gatherers. Evaluate the importance of the Neolithic Revolution when humans began to domesticate plants and animals and settled into either sedentary agricultural communities or into nomadic pastoral life. Also indicate how the natural environment shaped military thinking and institutions in the different regions. Indicate what archeological evidence (burials, skeletal remains, implements, walls, irrigation systems, pottery themes, figurines, religio-political iconography on and in architecture) exists for an understanding of the spread of warfare throughout the ancient world. Once you have established your timeline of warfare’s evolution, describe the different forms warfare has taken in terms of purpose, organization, leadership, weapons systems, strategy, and tactics.