Confirming Carneiro: Resource Scarcity and Pre-Modern Warfare
In 1970, Robert Carneiro introduced a theory called circumscription. The theory suggests exposure to certain environmental conditions is the main determinant for conflict in the premodern era. Well-received in some circles, others scrutinized whether the theory was as capable as it claimed (See, for instance, the symposium published by American Behavioral Scientist 31:4 March/April). Though disagreement remains as to whether Carneiro’s theory retains any merit, the results of empirical tests of his theory, more often than not, fall in his favor (Carneiro 1988; See also Deflem 1999). This paper adds to those empirical results and confirms environmental conditions play a role in the presence or absence of war.
