Page 249 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

2026 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

The Biblical Rules of Engagement, Deuteronomy 20 (KJV)

1 When thou goest out to battle against thine ene- 6 And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard,
mies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and
more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and
thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of another man eat of it.
the land of Egypt.
7 And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife,
2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the bat- and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto
tle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man
people, take her.

3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye 8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people,
approach this day unto battle against your enemies: and they shall say,What man is there that is fearful and
let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house,lest
neither be ye terrified because of them; his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.

4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, 9 And it shall be, when the officers have made an end
to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. of speaking unto the people, that they shall make cap-
tains of the armies to lead the people.
5 And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying,
What man is there that hath built a new house, and 10 When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight
hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his against it, then proclaim peace unto it.
house, lest he die in the battle, and another man ded-
11 And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace,
icate it.
and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the peo-

combat are those found in the Arnhem Land region, beginning of truly “historical” warfare. Today, however,
Northern Territory, Australia, dated at ca. 8000 BCE. most scholars agree that the origins of warfare are earlier
Iconographic evidence sometimes appears simultane- than the appearance of written records. Moreover,
ously with epigraphic evidence in the same record (for because written records can be unreliable (for instance,
instance, in the Stela of Vultures, Girsu [Telloh], Iraq; or the boastful claims of Mesopotamian kings or the doubt-
in Monument 3, San José Mogote, Oaxaca, Mexico). ful exaggerations of Maya rulers), some prehistoric data
The iconography of early warfare is abundant for both based on, say, fortifications, are more reliable and more
the Old World and the New World. It also developed valid indicators of warfare.Thus, “more recent” or “more
considerable artistic quality (from sketchy engraved art to historical” does not necessarily mean “more reliable” or
rich colorful murals) as part-time artisans became full- “more valid.” Nonetheless, in general, epigraphic records
time artists in the transition from relatively simpler (chief- are the most detailed and useful sources for constructing
dom) to more complex (state) societies. Many artistic precise data sets of past wars, particularly when they are
masterpieces of antiquity consist of iconographic repre- validated by other alternative indicators, such as forensic,
sentations of warfare. Along with their aesthetic value, structural, or iconographic lines of evidence.
they also provide valuable information for scientific
research. Old World Origins
Our present knowledge about the precise origins and
Epigraphic early development of warfare in the various regions of the
Evidence of warfare also comes from written records. ancient world is still incomplete. However, a tentative pat-
Until recently, the presence of written records marked the tern is beginning to emerge, a pattern which is different