Dyer chronicles the spread of warfare in the world’s 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.