Contemporary Issues in Defense and Peace Economics: An Introduction to the Symposium

The word “war” is derived from the old High German word werran, meaning “to confuse or bring into confusion.” The earliest recorded war took place in modern-day Sudan some 13,400 years ago. Archeological evidence suggests that the conflict was enduring and that the inhabitants of the area “survived several instances of violence during their lives” (Charles 2021). While this war is the first one known to us, it may not represent the first in human history. It certainly was not the last. Since 1800, more than 37 million people have died worldwide while actively engaged in conflict. This count excludes civilian conflict-related deaths from disease, hunger, etc. (Herre et al. 2024). It similarly excludes those who sustained injuries but did not die as a result.

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