[The Decay of Meaning]

What is the first recorded war in his history?

[Doomhammer]

Caveman "Thag" organized his clan to fight against the barbaric clan of "Zhug" just beyond the mountains. Apparently, the two got it on when Zhug accused Thag of plagerising his cave paintings.

Seriosuly though, it probably was a conflict between the ancient city states of mesopotamia.

[Zagadka]

Well, it depends what you mean by "war" and how you define what the sides are... as pointed out above, tribes and clans fought first, then city-states...

You ask for *recorded* history... recorded history starts c. 3000-2000 BCE in Messopotamia, slightly later in China and 0-1000 CE Americas.

So, your direct question - the first recorded war - was probably between Mesopotamian city-states. But in modern terms, this would probably be a civil war. So do you want the f irst recorded war between states? I'd then have to lean towards Egypt and its foes.

[Truthseeker]

I read somewhere that clubs/maces are the earliest weapon purely for the purpose of human-human combat in that they can quickly kill a human but are not of much use against predators or prey of the animal kingdom.

[Red Star]

Caveman "Thag" organized his clan to fight against the barbaric clan of "Zhug" just beyond the mountains. Apparently, the two got it on when Zhug accused Thag of plagerising his cave paintings.

They were actually called "Og" and "Ug", and were fighting over the possession of Cave 632 (you know, the one on the Eastern side of the mountain, just above the small beach by that sea...) and the priceless woman who lived there, Cher.

To answer your question, the first recorded war happened in Mesopotamia, as has already been pointed out, between Sumer (who were most probably invaders) and Elam, and took place around modern-day Basra. Eerie, eh?

http://ancienthistory.about.com/b/a/005034.htm

For more on the conflict:

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/gabrmetz/gabr0004.htm

[MB.]

War is an organized engagement between opposing bodies of people, appropriately armed and prepared to engage in genocidal activity.

The first "recorded war" is detailed on a cave painting wherein two groups of clearly differing peoples are shown engaging each-other with spears (and arrows? I can't recall). This painting originates in the Neolithic, which is commonly considered to be the era of the beginning of war (cultures were complex enough and large-enough to engage in combat for non-individualistic reasons during this period).

Assuming that the Bronze Age heralds the beginnings of war is extremely naive.

The first link you provided states that, "but there are no records of these earlier conflicts as writing wasn't invented until a little before 3000 B.C." An obvious and meaningless point. People recorded things in other means for tens of thousands of years before the invention of writing. War amongst them.

[Red Star]

All very good points, and no-one really assumes that war suddenly came about with Sumer. But the first war in which we know the identity of the sides seems to be Sumer and Elam.

Of course, technically you are right. But I guess he meant one in which we knew which sides took part, not just two tribes in Southern France (or wherever the cave painting is).

[The Immortal Goon]

You are all so naive. The first war was when the Helatrobus were destroyed.

-TIG

[MB.]

Shudder.

[Red Star]

You mean you don't subscribe to Hubbard's theory? Every respected historian does! If you don't, you hate history.

You don't hate history...do you?

[The Immortal Goon]

I'm with Red Star on this one. If you deny Hubbard, then the terrorists win.

-TIG