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BOOK REVIEW
by Robert Stozle
Constant Battles
By Steven A. LeBlanc with Katherine E. Register
Published by St. Martin's Press in 2003
Price $25.95-- 230 Pages
This book is a bit of a departure from the usual geology and petroleum industry related fare but, there
is a bit of connection besides the fact that archaeology also requires digging in the dirt. The main
thesis of this book is that the image of primitive man living in peaceful harmony with the "natural
world" is largely a fantasy cre ated to promote a political and ecological agenda. "Constant Battles"
examines the archaeological record from the earliest hominid fossils to the political structure of the
modern world and presents a powerful case for humans having always been aggressive, prolific and
largely out of "balance" with his environment.
Steven LeBlanc is a Harvard archaeologist and a director of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology
and Ethnology, so he is writing about what he knows. The book is written for the general public but,
does have a thorough annotation of notes and references after the text for anyone wanting to review
the author's sources. Th e style is somewhat "chatty" and very readable but, some of the points get
driven home more often than necessary. Nevertheless, I would recommend "Constant Battles " to
anyone interested in human origins and/or the current human condition. The following quote is a
good representation of the book's style and thesis:
"The myth of the `noble savage' living in peaceful harmony with n ature is a naïve version of the idea
that traditional societies have been able to live below the carrying capacity and were able to control
their populations so they wouldn't exceed the resource supply, but human societies have not been
able to do this. And along with this misconception comes the myth of a peaceful past, which views
warfare as occasional, minor and almost gamelike. War in the past was frequent, serious and
deadly."
The argument is quite compelling and doesn't leave much double about the "dark side" of the human
spirit having been with us since time immemorial. However, "Constant Battles " does suggest that if
we can understand this part of our humanity that, with some serious adjustments, mankind just might
break out of one of our more vicious cycles. Just because, in the past, when resources became scarce
we took them from our neighbors, does not mean that we have to reform the Middle East to ensure
that the oil keeps flowing.
Robert Stolzle
6/30/03