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The Culture of War: Invention and Early Development (Contributions in Military Studies), by Richard A. Gabriel
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Although war has been analyzed from many perspectives, no scholar has satisfactorily explained why the human race fights and how we came to create a degree of military sophistication capable of destroying the entire species. Gabriel addresses these questions in his study of the origins and development of warfare. He looks particularly at the relationship between the evolution of the social institution of war and the development of the military institutions, tactical sciences, and technology required for organized conflict.
Beginning with a discussion of the biological and evolutionary history of man, Gabriel investigates the proposition that the human race is genetically predisposed to warlike behavior. He next reviews the archaeological record to test the common assumption that war has existed from the earliest times. He traces the evolution of the social institutions and technology of war in a succession of ancient cultures beginning with the Bronze Age. The development of armies, tactics, logistics, and weapons is examined, together with the psychological and social implications of mankind's choice to use them. The work concludes with a discussion demonstrating how the practice of war in modern times relates to the perpetuation of values and institutional forms created by earlier societies--especially those of classical Greece and Rome. The first study to integrate the findings of cultural anthropology with the concerns of military analysis, this work will be of interest to students and academics in these and related fields.
- Sales Rank: #1248590 in Books
- Published on: 1990-04-23
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.02" h x .56" w x 5.98" l, .97 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 184 pages
Review
"Gabriel (author of some 21 other books, most of which pertain to modern war) is well versed in the history of human conflict. This brief, interesting survey is focused on early warfare, ranging from the Stone Age through the Bronze Age, followed by chapters on the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and the Romans through the collapse of the Roman Empire in the fifth century. Gabriel's analysis emphasizes the origins of war as a function of societal changes, and his discussion of the successive stages of warfare is couched in the context of political and cultural revolution. At the same time, he includes numerous examples of technological influences, such as the advantages of fixed spear points that permit additional usage as tools to pry apart stone fortifications. A useful summary, with a commendable bibliography for further research. Advanced undergraduates and up."-Choice
?Gabriel (author of some 21 other books, most of which pertain to modern war) is well versed in the history of human conflict. This brief, interesting survey is focused on early warfare, ranging from the Stone Age through the Bronze Age, followed by chapters on the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and the Romans through the collapse of the Roman Empire in the fifth century. Gabriel's analysis emphasizes the origins of war as a function of societal changes, and his discussion of the successive stages of warfare is couched in the context of political and cultural revolution. At the same time, he includes numerous examples of technological influences, such as the advantages of fixed spear points that permit additional usage as tools to pry apart stone fortifications. A useful summary, with a commendable bibliography for further research. Advanced undergraduates and up.?-Choice
About the Author
RICHARD A. GABRIEL adjunct professor of Ethics and Humanities at Daniel Webster College. He is the author of twenty-one books, scores of articles, and hundreds of presentations on various military subjects. Dr. Gabriel is among the country's most published military writers, and is a frequent lecturer to the military establishments of the United States, West Germany, England, Canada, and Israel.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Worth reading for both insights and details, tho overpriced
By Eric Balkan
The Culture of War is insightful, informative, and entertaining. But it does have some problems.
First, we have to put it into perspective. It's not a scholarly history, though perhaps a bit more than a pop history book. By "pop history", I mean that the author creates a single narrative -- this happened, then this happened, then that happened, etc. A scholarly book, on the other hand, understands that many (most?) things in history are subject to multiple interpretations, and so it's incumbent on the author to account for the major interpretations contrary to his own, and explain why he disagrees with them. There's not really any of that in the text of The Culture of War, though there is some in the footnotes. This is not actually a criticism, just something to be aware of.
The thesis of the book is that the culture of war is manufactured, and not inherent in the nature of man. Prof Gabriel starts with pre-history, noting that man, along with other species, engaged in conflicts but not war. The rationale behind a conflict is that individuals or groups may fight for a common prize: women, territory, food -- but one side will realize it's losing and will back off -- submitting to the others' dominance or leaving the scene -- thus ending the conflict. This is different than war, where the object is generally to kill the enemy.
Gabriel notes one key difference between man and animal: our ability to conceptualize. Whereas animals respond to imminent threats, man is able to conceptualize threats in the future and so be motivated to take pre-emptive action against them. The advent of organized religion elevated this ability to create artificial realities.
Gabriel surmises that the concept of war developed with the introduction of agriculture. With agriculture, a food surplus was created. This enabled members of a group to engage in pursuits other than hunting/gathering food. It enabled the growth of warrior and priestly classes. With a class devoted to war, and a priestly class giving a divine/spiritual justification to the king and the use of warriors for maintaining order and for conquests, there was now time and motivation to raise inter-group conflicts to a new level. And then, unlike in primitive days, the object of one warrior class was to kill the members of the opposing warrior class.
Concomitant with this, though I don't think Gabriel spells it out, the ordinary farmer-citizen would not have any experience with weapons, unlike his hunter-gatherer forebears, and would thus be at the mercy of the winning warriors. The winning side would then have a free rein in exterminating or enslaving the losing population.
Several chapters then go into how the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans developed their skill at war. Gabriel provides detailed info about weapons, tactics, fortifications, and logistics. A drawback here is that there are no illustrations or maps. Gabriel notes that it was the Greeks who associated war with glory. That is, that engaging in war, in hand-to-hand combat, was ennobling. Killing at a distance with bows and arrows was frowned upon. That's become part of Western culture, though it's worth noting that non-Western cultures are not dissimilar.
In the concluding chapter, which discusses whether or not war will always be us, Gabriel says: "Given that man is the only species on the planet capable of conceptual thought, a talent that mkes it possible for him literally to create new realities within his intellect that can determine behavior, it should come as no surprise that the psychology of war is itself a learned behanvior. And if it is learned, then it can be unlearned."
I mentioned earlier that the book has some problems. First, it needed better editing than what it got. There are spelling mistakes, small errors of fact: a reference to author James Chambers gets his first name wrong, mental lapses: 333 BC is the 4th century BC, not the third, sometimes the same thought in the same wording is repeated in two successive paragraphs, etc. Those are things a publisher should catch.
Of more concern are things like Gabriel's acceptance of army sizes given by historical accounts as accurate. I believe most historians discount those numbers as exaggerated, and in fact, Gabriel, in a footnote to a later chapter, says as much. But pretty much everywhere in the text the reported number is given, without, what I feel, is a necessary grain-of-salt warning. And he draws some conclusions based on those army sizes.
Oddly, considering his conclusion, he talks appreciatively of the Roman Empire, for it's military achievements, and its bringing peace to the region, overlooking how brutal it was.
This is an older book, and possibly Prof Gabriel has changed his mind about some things he writes here. Still, overall, I encourage anyone interested in how military culture got to where it is today, to read this book.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Just Arrived!!!
By justfarley
Of The Seller: fabulous.
Got here in a few days and in far better shape than they listed. In excellent condition - modest aging on a solid boned book, including the cover flap. Nary a mark inside or out, and a pleasure to hold. Silly, perhaps, but I love books...
I discovered Mr. Gabriel by listening to a Dan Carlin Hardcore History Archive ( [...] ) , and as a retired anthropologist was delighted for the introduction. Titled The Culture of War, I really look forward to what appears a classic of my unknown unknown in Cultural Anthropology. And that by an important Military Historian. With luck I'll have more to say after reading this gem. Till then, many kudos to More Than Words ( [...] ) which has just become my brand new best bookstore!
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