--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is simply no proof that warfare in…" description: "\"“There is simply no proof that warfare in small-scale societies was a rarer or less serious undertaking than among civilized societies. In general, war..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/lawrence-h-keeley-39443_war_there-is-simply-no-proof-that-warfare-in_2319000.jpg" --- # There is simply no proof that warfare in small-scale… ![“There is simply no proof that warfare in small-scale societies was a rarer or less serious undertaking than among civilized societies. In general, warfare in prestate societies was both frequent and important. If anything, peace was a scarcer commodity for members of bands, tribes, and chiefdoms…” quote by Lawrence H. Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/lawrence-h-keeley-39443_war_there-is-simply-no-proof-that-warfare-in_2319000.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/lawrence-h-keeley-39443_war_there-is-simply-no-proof-that-warfare-in_2319000.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/lawrence-h-keeley-39443_war_there-is-simply-no-proof-that-warfare-in_2319000.jpg) > ““There is simply no proof that warfare in small-scale societies was a rarer or less serious undertaking than among civilized societies. In general, warfare in prestate societies was both frequent and important. If anything, peace was a scarcer commodity for members of bands, tribes, and chiefdoms than for the average citizen of a civilized state.”” [Lawrence H. Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-h-keeley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Warfare was common and significant among small societies, often more so than among later civilized states. **In simple terms:** Small societies fought a lot, sometimes more than larger ones. Key Takeaway Do not assume peace is natural in any society. Themes conflict anthropology history Mood analytical thoughtful Type historical educational When to use this quote - archaeology - anthropology - comparative history Key Concepts prestate warfare social organization resource competition Questions to Reflect On - What factors drive conflict in different societies? - How does scale affect war tactics? A Different Perspective The statement may simplify complex causes of war. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilized Societies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilized-societies-1183255/) [Prestate Societies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prestate-societies-5535865/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warfare/) [Warfare Prestate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warfare-prestate-5535866/) [Warfare Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warfare-small-5535864/) ## Related quotes > [I believe that free and civilized societies do not hold prisoners incommunicado.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcclintock/i-believe-that-free-and-civilized-societies-do-not-hold-prisoners/) [Tom McClintock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcclintock/) > [Marriage is treated by all civilized societies as a peculiar and favored contract. 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Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-j-turner/) [Browse all 38,922 War quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is simply no proof that warfare in small-scale societies was a rarer or less serious undertaking than among civilized societies. In general, warfare in prestate societies was both frequent and important. If anything, peace was a scarcer commodity for members of bands, tribes, and chiefdoms than for the average citizen of a civilized state.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lawrence H. 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