Earliest Known War Was A Repeated Conflict In Sudan 13,400 Years Ago

An archival photograph showing a double burial at Jebel Sahaba. Wendorf Archives of the British Museum  

New Scientist: Earliest known war was a repeated conflict in Sudan 13,400 years ago 

Individuals buried at the prehistoric cemetery Jebel Sahaba in Sudan seem to have experienced violence and trauma at several points during their lives. The discovery may help us understand the prehistory of violence before the origin of farming. 

At about 13,400 years old, Jebel Sahaba is one of the earliest sites displaying signs of mass conflict. Violence between communities seems to have become more common once people settled in one place to farm, which had begun happening by about 12,000 years ago. But evidence of organised violence among more mobile communities, like those represented by Jebel Sahaba, is unusual.  

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WNU Editor: Fighting and warfare is part of human nature. I suspect that we have been fighting in an organized matter way before the above discovered 13,400 year conflict.

The Pharaohs’ Golden Parade (Live Stream)

 

  

WNU Editor: The complete live stream is below.

 

The Battle of 73 Easting 30 Years Ago Was The Last Great Tank Battle Of The 20th Century, And A Battle That Changed The Course Of Warfare

Photo: Public Domain via Wikipedia 

BattleSwarm Blog: The 30th Anniversary of 73 Easting 

Thirty years ago, on February 26, 1991, units of the American Second Armored Cavalry Regiment engaged the armor of the Iraqi Republican Guard Tawakalna Division in the Battle of 73 Easting. 

The furious action lasted twenty-three minutes. The troop stopped when there was nothing left to shoot. Sporadic contact ranged from nuisance machine gun fire to one company-sized counterattack of T-72s and BMP armored personnel carriers. Tanks and Bradleys destroyed enemy vehicles at long range from the dominating position on the ridge. Three Bradleys from first platoon, led by Lieutenant Michael Petschek, encountered and destroyed four T-72s as they moved north to reestablish physical contact with G Troop. Medics treated and evacuated enemy wounded. Crews cross-leveled ammunition. Mortars suppressed enemy infantry further to the east as our fire support officer, Lieutenant Dan Davis, called in devastating artillery strikes on enemy logistical bases. Scouts and a team under the control of First Sergeant Bill Virrill cleared bunkers using grenades and satchel charges, and then led a much-needed resupply convoy through minefields to our rear. A psychological operations team broadcasted surrender appeals forward of the troop and the troop took the first of hundreds of prisoners including the brigade commander. Soldiers segregated, searched, and secured prisoners through the night. Many prisoners cried because they had not expected such humane treatment; their officers had told them that we would execute them. The prisoners were incredulous when our soldiers returned their wallets without taking any of the money that they had looted from Kuwait City. Just after 2200, 1ID conducted a forward passage of lines in Third Squadron’s area of operation to our south. 

The morning after the battle, soldiers were exhausted. Many of the approximately fifty T-72s, twenty-five armored personnel carriers, forty trucks and numerous other vehicles that the troop destroyed were still smoldering. Our troop had taken no casualties. 

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WNU Editor: I must admit that I was shocked on how quickly US and coalition ground forces destroyed the Iraqi Army in this war. Within 100 hours the war was over, and the realization that technology had changed how large scale land battles were to be fought. 

 More News On The Battle Of 73 Easting 

‘The last great tank battle’ was a slugfest of epic proportions -- We Are The Mighty 

2nd Cavalry Regiment remembers Battle of 73 Easting - Middle East -- Stars and Stripes 

The Battle of 73 Easting: The True Story Behind Desert Storm’s Most Intense Tank Battle -- National Interest 

The untold story of the world’s fiercest tank battle -- Natonal Geographic 

How the Battle of 73 Easting Was Won -- National Interest 

2nd Cavalry Regiment’s Battle of 73 Easting remembered -- Dvids 

10 Lessons from the Battle of 73 Easting -- HR McMaster, National Interest Hat Tip James for this story.

Here Are Some Of The Coolest Ancient Weapons Discovered In 2020

(Image credit: Ca' Foscari University of Venice/Andrea Avezzù) 

Live Science: The coolest ancient weapons discovered in 2020 

Archaeologists unearthed amazing swords, daggers and other weaponry this year 

Ancient swords, elaborate daggers, even early artillery — 2020 turned up a number of intriguing ancient weapons that tell the story of the violence of the past. 

These discoveries cover hundreds of thousands of years of human history, ranging from the ice age to medieval times. 

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WNU Editor: The 5,000 year old dagger is quite a find, as well as the 2,000 year old Roman dagger.

Archeological Evidence Indicates That Mankind Has Been Waging Warfare For 100,000 Years

This graph, created by study author Dr Longrich, shows the global battles which waged for millennia between Neanderthals and humans, both archaic (blue) and modern (red) 

Daily Mail: Neanderthals and humans were engaged in brutal guerrilla-style warfare across the globe for over 100,000 years, evidence shows 

 * Neanderthals and Homo sapiens evolved from one ancestor 600,000 years ago 

 * Two species co-existed together until Neanderthal extinction 40,000 years ago 

 * Experts believe the two species were engaged in a long-running guerrilla war 

 * Dr Nicholas R. Longrich of the University of Bath explains it for The Conversation 

Neanderthals and Homo sapiens were closely related, sister species who evolved from the same ancestor and co-existed for millennia. 

But scientists have tussled with trying to explain why Neanderthals went extinct around 40,000 years and humans lived on. 

Several theories have been put forward to explain how this happened, including competition for the same resources, such as food and shelter; Neanderthals being unable to adjust to rapid climate change; and direct confrontation. 

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Update #1: Did Neanderthals go to war with our ancestors? (BBC) 

Update #2: Neanderthals And Humans Were at War For Over 100,000 Years, Evidence Shows (Science Alert) 

WNU Editor: War and violence is our nature.

The History Of The World (Video)

The Shifting Power of the World’s Largest Cities Visualized Over 4,000 Years

Open Culture: The Shifting Power of the World’s Largest Cities Visualized Over 4,000 Years (2050 BC-2050 AD)

"When Rome fell…." The expression seems designed to conjure the Tarot card Tower that illustrates it, a sudden attack, a reckoning. “Fell,” in the case of most ancient empires, means declined, changed, and transformed over centuries. As all great cities do, Rome suffered many violent shocks during its fall, as it transitioned from a pagan to a Christian empire. The sacking of Rome in 410 left Romans reeling, trying to make meaning from upheaval. They found it in the pagan religion of their ancestors.

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WNU Editor: Two things that I picked out from this post. Rome has been around for a long time. And the size of the city is directly related to the power it wields.

The Economic History Of The World In One Minute

The economic history of the world in one minute. pic.twitter.com/prs374HIKD

— Gold Telegraph (@GoldTelegraph_) March 7, 2019

WNU Editor: China had India have always held two of the top three positions in the world economy for centuries. But like all things .... nothing lasts forever.

Prehistoric Tools And Weapons Emerged In East Asia 170.000 Years Ago

The tools (pictured), known as a 'Levallois stones', were a distinctive type of stone knapping developed by our ancient ancestors

Daily Mail: Prehistoric 'Swiss Army knife' used to spear enemies, scrape rocks and dig holes reveals complex tools emerged in East Asia 170,000 years ago

  * Levallois cores developed in Africa and Western Europe 300,000 years ago
  * Until now, this was not believed to have emerged in Asia until 40,000 years ago
  * Scientists say the carved stone tools are a sign of more-advanced tool-making

A prehistoric 'Swiss Army knife' used to spear, slice, scrape or dig has been discovered in China.

The 170,000-year-old tool, known as a 'Levallois stone', is a sign of advanced tool-making and is considered the 'multi-tool' of the prehistoric world.

Levallois stones have previously been found in East Africa, and are thought to have first appeared around 300,000 years ago.

Scientists had thought that this level of sophisticated tool making didn't emerge in East Asia until 40,000 years ago, but the new find pushes this figure back by 130,000 years.

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WNU Editor: It looks like early man was smart enough to know that weapons tools .... sharp or otherwise .... made life easier.

On This Day In History Richard Nixon Was Re-Elected U.S. President

History.com: Nixon re-elected president

Richard Nixon defeats Senator George McGovern (D-South Dakota) and is re-elected President of the United States.

With only 55 percent of the electorate voting, the lowest turnout since 1948, Nixon carried all states but Massachusetts, taking 97 percent of the electoral votes. During the campaign, Nixon pledged to secure “peace with honor” in Vietnam. Aided by the potential for a peace agreement in the ongoing Paris negotiations and the upswing in the American economy, Nixon easily defeated McGovern, an outspoken peacenik whose party was divided over several issues, not the least of which was McGovern’s extreme views on the war. McGovern had said during the campaign, “If I were President, it would take me twenty-four hours and the stroke of a pen to terminate all military operations in Southeast Asia.” He said he would withdraw all American troops within 90 days of taking office, whether or not U.S. prisoners of war were released. To many Americans, including many Democrats, McGovern’s position was tantamount to total capitulation in Southeast Asia. Given this radical alternative, Nixon seemed a better choice to most voters.

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WNU Editor: Just a little bit of U.S. political history after today's U.S. midterm elections.

The Russian Warship Dmitrii Donskoi With 200 Tons Of Gold Has Been Found Off The Coast Of South Korea

RT: Treasure fever as hunters release photos of sunken Russian cruiser ‘with 200 tons of gold’

A South Korean firm made a splash on Tuesday after publishing, what it says, is a Russian Imperial Navy cruiser which was sunken during the Russo-Japanese War and may have had an entire flotilla’s treasury on board.

The Dmitrii Donskoi was an armored cruiser in the Russian Imperial Navy’s Baltic fleet which was deployed to the Pacific along with several other ships to fight in the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. It took part in the Battle of Tsushima, which was disastrous for Russia. It fled crippled and chased by Japanese warships and was eventually scuttled by its crew to avoid surrender off the coast of what is now South Korea’s Ulleung Island, or Ulleungdo.

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Update: Sunken Russian naval ship discovered after 113 years (Yonhap)

WNU Editor: I read about this ship in high school. Russia will be receiving half of the find, the rest will be going to the consortium that discovered the ship.

A Look At What Life Was Like For A Roman Soldier 2,000 Years Ago

We Are The Mighty: This was the average day for an ancient Roman soldier

Today, the modern soldier wakes up, eats chow, goes through a day of training with his or her squad before resting up. They follow this schedule every day from Monday to Friday. If the troop is on a deployment, they could work anywhere from 12 to 18 hours (if not more) per day, seven days a week, for nearly a year.

It's a tough lifestyle.

Once a troop fulfills their service commitment, they can be honorably discharged or reenlist — the choice is theirs.

Now, let's rewind time to around 15 C.E. The Roman Empire is thriving and you're an infantryman serving in the Imperial Roman army under Emperor Tiberius. In many ways, life was quite different for the average sword-wielding soldier when compared to today's modern troop. In other ways, however, things were very much the same.

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WNU Editor: The more things change .... the more they stay the same.

Secret Order Issued In Russia To Destroy All Data Pertaining To Gulag Prisoners

Newser: Secret Russian Order Could Be 'Catastrophic' for Historians

A museum studying Soviet prison camps uncovers 2014 directive

A museum studying Soviet prison camps said Friday it has discovered a secret Russian order in 2014 instructing officials to destroy data on prisoners—a move it said "could have catastrophic consequences for studying the history of the camps." Up to 17 million people were sent to the Gulag, the notorious Soviet prison camp system, in the 1930s and 1940s, and at least 5 million of them were convicted on false testimony. Case files of the Gulag prisoners were often destroyed, but their personal data was kept on registration cards, which are still held by police and intelligence officials. Moscow's Gulag History Museum said Friday it has discovered a classified 2014 order that instructed Russian officials to destroy the registration cards of prisoners who had reached the age of 80—which now would include almost all of them, reports the AP.

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Update: Russian museum discovers secret order to destroy Gulag data (The Guardian/AP)

WNU Editor: My blood always boils when I read stories like this one.

Mankind Has A Long History Of Violence

This May 10, 2011, photo provided by National Geographic shows that the face of this child was painted with a red cinnabar-based pigment, at the Huanchaquito-Las Llamas site near Trujillo, Peru.

CNN: Largest child sacrifice in history discovered in Peru

Scientists have unearthed a dark secret in Peru.

The skeletal remains of more than 140 children and 200 baby llamas were found on the country's northern coast. It may be evidence of the largest child sacrifice in history, according to an exclusive report by National Geographic, released Thursday on its website. The remains of a man and two women were also found.

The sacrifices are believed to have taken place 550 years ago in the pre-Columbian Chimú Empire, in a sacrificial site formerly known as Huanchaquito-Las Llamas, close to a UNESCO World Heritage site of Chan Chan, in the modern town of Trujillo.

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The walled fort at Sandby Borg

BBC: Largest child sacrifice in history discovered in Peru

Swedish archaeologists have found evidence of a 5th century massacre on the south-eastern island of Oland.

In a paper published in the journal Antiquity, the team writes about the 1,500 year old attack at Sandby borg.

Dozens of corpses have been found in the walled fort, their bodies left to rot where they fell.

All of the victims were killed with "brutal force", team leader Helena Victor said. Some victims were found inside houses, others in the streets.

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WNU Editor: A reported asked me a few months ago if I ever run out of ideas and/or news stories to post. My answer was that if I had the time, I would be posting 20x the content that I am posting now. Violence and warfare is part of man's nature .... and it is has been since the beginning of time.

Was Napoleon The Best General Ever? (According To The Math He Was)

Image: Napoleon (Wikipedia)

Ethan Arsht, Towards Data Science: Napoleon was the Best General Ever, and the Math Proves it.

Ranking Every* General in the History of Warfare

*Almost every

When Africanus asked who, in Hannibal’s opinion, was the greatest general, Hannibal named Alexander… as to whom he would rank second, Hannibal selected Pyrrhus… asking whom Hannibal considered third, he named himself without hesitation. Then Scipio broke into a laugh and said, “What would you say if you had defeated me?”

— Livy

Like Hannibal, I wanted to rank powerful leaders in the history of warfare. Unlike Hannibal, I sought to use data to determine a general’s abilities, rather than specific accounts of generals’ achievements. The result is a system for ranking every prominent commander in military history.

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WNU Editor:  For those who like math and history .... this is a must read.

The 7 Best Military Commanders Of All Time (According To Napoleon Bonaparte)

Wiki Commons

Business Insider: The 7 best military commanders of all time, according to Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the greatest military commanders of all time.

He brought Revolutionary France back from the brink of destruction with his Italian campaign in 1796 and 1797. He made a fool of Czar Alexander I at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805. He encircled an entire Austrian army and forced them to capitulate at the Battle of Ulm in 1805. And these are just a few of his exploits.

But he was also a student of history, and repeatedly instructed his subordinates to pore over the campaigns of seven specific commanders that came before him, arguing that it was the only way to learn the art of war and become a great captain.

"Your own genius will be enlightened and improved by this study, and you will learn to reject all maxims foreign to the principles of these great commanders," Napoleon said.

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WNU Editor:  No arguments from me on his list.

The Entire History Of Civilization In One Chart

Business Insider/Slate: The Entire History Of The World In One Chart

This “Histomap,” created by John B. Sparks, was first printed by Rand McNally in 1931.

This giant, ambitious chart fit neatly with a trend in nonfiction book publishing of the 1920s and 1930s: the “outline,” in which large subjects (the history of the world! every school of philosophy! all of modern physics!) were distilled into a form comprehensible to the most uneducated layman.

The 5-foot-long Histomap was sold for $1 and folded into a green cover, which featured endorsements from historians and reviewers. The chart was advertised as “clear, vivid, and shorn of elaboration,” while at the same time capable of “holding you enthralled” by presenting:

the actual picture of the march of civilization, from the mud huts of the ancients thru the monarchistic glamour of the middle ages to the living panorama of life in present day America.

The chart emphasizes domination, using color to show how the power of various “peoples” (a quasi-racial understanding of the nature of human groups, quite popular at the time) evolved throughout history.

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WNU Editor: This is so cool. For a fully zoomable version go here.

What Stopped The Mongol Hordes From Conquering Europe?

New Scientist: Mongol hordes gave up on conquering Europe due to wet weather

It has mystified historians ever since. After a string of major victories, the Mongol army suddenly retreated from central Europe in 1242.

Some scholars claim Mongolian politics forced the withdrawal, while others credit the strength of fortified towns in present-day Hungary and Croatia. But Europe could have been rescued by its own bad weather, an analysis of tree rings and historical documents concludes.

The Mongol cavalry fed its horses on the grass of the Eurasian steppe, says Nicola Di Cosmo of Princeton University, one of the study’s authors. A warm climate in the early 1200s helped make the grasslands lush and this, in turn, helped the Mongols extend their empire into Russia, he says.

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More News On What Stopped The Mongols From Conquering Europe

Mystery of Mongol Retreat from Hungary Solved -- Live Science
Did weather defeat the Mongol Empire? -- CSM
What made the Mongols flee Hungary in 1242? -- Red Orbit
Scientists finally know what stopped Mongol hordes from conquering Europe -- Tech Insider
Why The Mongol Horde Retreated From Europe -- Forbes

Russian Arsenal During The Time Of Ivan The Terrible Discovered Outside Of Moscow

A 16th century storehouse holding distinctive spiked helmets (pictured) and weapons intended for elite soldiers has been discovered near Zvenigorod, a town west of Moscow. The helmets were found stored in leather boxes along with sabres, belts and arrows, intended for use by a powerful group of Russian soldiers

Discovery: Ivan the Terrible Military Arsenal Found

The full arsenal of a military commander who served Ivan the Terrible has been uncovered in Russia, the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences has announced.

Found during a survey for a highway expansion outside Zvenigorod, an ancient town 18 miles west of Moscow, the cache consists of helmets stored in leather boxes, sections of sabers, arrows and and a type of armor known as kolchugs.

The location of the finding was the 16th century village of Ignatievskoe, once the homeland of the Dobrynins, a family belonging to the Russian boyar nobility.

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More News On The Discovery Of A Russian Arsenal During The Time Of Ivan The Terrible

Ivan the Terrible's military arsenal discovered: 16th century storehouse holds spiked helmets, sabres and arrows for soldiers of the notorious Tsar's army -- Daily Mail
Cache of military-grade weapons from the era of the Ivan the Terrible found near Moscow -- Ancient Origins
Ivan the Terrible's 'hand-picked thousand' arsenal discovered, with spiked helmets and military swords -- IBTimes
Private, 16th-Century Arsenal Unearthed in Russia -- Archaeology
Archaeologists uncover Ivan the Terrible’s weapon cache in Russia -- Red Orbit

A Look At How Ancient Warrior Kings Were Honoured And Buried

CNN: 3,500-year-old treasure trove unearthed from grave of Greek warrior-king

Archaeologists in Pylos, southwest Greece, have excavated the intact tomb of a wealthy Bronze Age warrior-king buried about 3,500 years ago, in a discovery the team's co-leader hailed as "one of the most magnificent displays of prehistoric wealth discovered in mainland Greece in the past 65 years."

Greece's Ministry of Culture announced the discovery of the trove, which contained more than 1,400 objects, including a three-foot long bronze sword with an ivory hilt, four solid gold rings -- more than found at any single burial elsewhere in Greece -- and ivory combs and carvings, depicting griffons and a lion.

Also in the shaft tomb was a unique necklace of box-shaped golden wires, gold and silver goblets, and more than 50 intricately carved seals -- made in the style of the Minoan culture of the large island of Crete, to the southeast -- depicting goddesses, reeds, altars, lions and men jumping over bulls.

WNU Editor: Not much has changed over the centuries.