Dyer chronicles the spread of warfare in the worlds first cities; the rise of inequality and tyranny as human societies grow; the millennium-long classical age of combat ended by the the carnage of the Thirty Years War; the brief ensuing interlude of limited war before the popular revolutions of the 18th century ushered in an age of total war -- itself abruptly halted by Hiroshima.This vivid, clear-sighted book is vital reading for anyone who wants to understand the role of war in the long human story: why we do it, and how we can stop.