ABSTRACT
[In western Eurasia, during its Neolithic period, evidence for wars is difficult to find. In the Early and Middle Bronze Age, wars were frequently fought in the Near East, but they were sieges of walled cities. In Europe, not yet at the state level, violence was common but men did not engage in wars. Battlefield warfare and militarism began early in the second millennium BCE, with the chariot and on the steppe, where Indo-European languages were spoken. From the steppe, militarism and Indo-European languages spread to the Near East, India and Europe. In chariot warfare, the chariot served as a mobile platform for an archer armed with a composite bow, and the chariot crewmen (elite, and limited in number) were supported by at least as many men on the ground (frequently modestly paid ‘barbarians’), who were armed with a hand-to-hand weapon and were protected by a small shield. In the Near East, chariot warfare continued until ca. 1200 BCE. In Europe, chariots soon lost their military importance, and by the Urnfield period warfare had evolved into hand-to-hand combat, between warriors armed with spears and swords and wearing defensive armour.]
