![]() For example, to “reverse” damage, there is evidence that burnt land can be recovered- even without human intervention for low intensity fires.(1) A low intensity burn might have even boosted soil fertility! (2) As for unproductive soils due to sowing weed, productivity can be restored with simple methods like by “mowing, flooding, cultivating, smothering, burning, and crop rotation”, which were accessible by ancient civilisations.(3) However, I personally do think that the land damaged by ancient war is usable today due to the more “natural and organic” agents of destruction used. Though I will always be on a look-out and will update this comment if I find something! The most I could find were recounts of the destruction itself, and not the long-term outcome of the land. Thanks for your comment! Unfortunately, as expressed in my blog, I found it hard to find quantifying evidence of the environmental impacts of specific ancient wars (eg Roman War, Scythian war etc): since they happened thousands ago, their effects haven’t been the most accessible/easy to study – especially with civilisations rebuilt on land and ever-changing land-uses. The question now is “How do the impacts of modern warfare compare to them?”. The fact is that the environmental and physical impacts of ancient war were significant enough to destroy whole civilisations. Using animals can lead to mass death, seen from eight million horses perishing in WW1, and foreign animals introduced when invading land can alter ecology as invasive species. For example, we know that introducing weed does way more than reduce crop yield, but also greatly interferes with biodiversity and ecosystem processes. Despite that, modern examples can help us gain insight on them. I found it challenging to gather evidence quantifying their specific spatial and temporal extents, understandably, ancient war occurred ages ago. Undeniably, ancient war was not just all about triumph and defeat of empires, it had dire ecological consequences too. “Scorpion Grenades” and “Bee Bombs” were utilised as weapons by the Roman Empire to cause physical harm, and fleas were used as vectors of disease. Other animals used included pigs, pigeons and even dogs.īesides combat, animals were exploited as weapons, and the deployment of Entomological Warfare is a great example. For combat, elephants were indeed used to trample and ravage enemy armies, and horses were employed for transportation. Despite the movies’ fictional and dramatic depictions of creatures at war, I could identify some common animal war tactics as used in ancient warfare. Have you seen the wars in Narnia and The Lord of the Rings? Have a quick look!Īnimals were used to wage war too. This devastated enemy food sources and production systems, therefore weakening civilisations through starvation. Techniques like burning by the Scythians, sowing weeds by the Assyrian, salting of cropland, and poisoning wells in Mesopotamia managed to render once prosperous grounds futile and unproductive. In ancient times, agricultural warfare was one of the biggest arms of the Scorched Earth Policy, which is defined as “the act of an army destroying everything in an area that could be useful to an enemy”. Preceded by the Neolithic Age, I believe the war in ancient times was characterised by heavy reliance on animals, agricultural warfare and the use of melee weapons. So, what exactly is ancient war? Though what is defined as “ancient” periods differ from region to region, it is commonly regarded to be from 3000BC to 476AD – the beginning of recorded history to the fall of the roman empire. A Painting depicting War in Ancient Rome (Source: Pixabay) By understanding warfare’s first manifestations in humanity, I believe we can then better comprehend its modernisation and resultant increasing impacts on the environment. But before I start venturing into that notion of war most have, I decided to first understand ancient war and its impact on the environment. Well, these are characteristic of modern warfare, and arose from technological advancements. Like me, I’m guessing you thought of devastating nuclear bombs, rifles, high-intelligence systems and deadly bioweapons. Now, close your eyes for 10 seconds and ponder on the word “War”.
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