This feels like debating a holocaust denier. We are moving from “it did not happen at all” to “maybe it wasn’t six million Jews but only five million”. (“You did not name a single historian, Greek city state, solitary event, or personality from history” → “ancients simply did not keep accurate records … what evidence we do have shows the numbers to be always exaggerated”)
The argument by inaccurate records goes both ways. If there is a genocide today, we probably know about it, and someone at least makes a note in Wikipedia. In the past, ethnic groups could be erased with no one (other than the people involved in the war) noticing. The fact that the list of known genocides in 20th century is longer than the list of known genocides in e.g. 12th century is mostly because of better bookkeeping.
And yet, despite choosing a century randomly (if I tried on purpose, I could have chosen e.g. the 13th century with Albigenian Crusade as a good example), Wikipedia mentions “Massacre of the Latins” with about 60 000 dead in the 12th century. In a world where the population was not even 1⁄10 of what it is today, so relatively comparable with the numbers that you have mentioned. And we have no idea about what massacres might have happened in 12th century Africa.
So yes, today we have more victims in absolute numbers, but that’s because we have larger populations and stronger weapons. When you have to kill your enemies using a hand axe, I guess you get quite tired after chopping off dozen heads. With a nuke, you just press a button and thousands die. And yet, despite the other side having nukes, most Japanese survived WW2. (Which is something they totally did not expect, given their usual behavior towards defeated enemies.) The people in the past were as efficient at killing their enemies with swords, as we are with the weapons of mass destruction today.
“Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.” (1 Samuel 15:3) Tell me again how civilians were not considered valid targets in the past.
You mention compelling prisoners of war to labor, as an analogy to slavery. Yeah, but that was an exception during the war. (Except for the Soviets, who conveniently kept many of the prisoners of war long after the war was over.) Now compare to a situation thousand years ago, when the slave trade was a crucial part of European economy, comparable to oil trade today. The reason entire countries converted to Christianity was to stop the unending slave raids from their neighbors. (Christians had a taboo against enslaving each other. So did Muslims. Both of them considered it okay to enslave each other, and the pagans.) Or consider Africa: the first black slaves brought to America were legally bought in Africa from the local African slave traders. Americans did not invent slavery; they just provided a huge new market for it.
Sorry, I think it is you who needs to learn history. Yes, humans suck today; the “Noble Savages” were not any better, probably much worse.
This feels like debating a holocaust denier. We are moving from “it did not happen at all” to “maybe it wasn’t six million Jews but only five million”. (“You did not name a single historian, Greek city state, solitary event, or personality from history” → “ancients simply did not keep accurate records … what evidence we do have shows the numbers to be always exaggerated”)
The argument by inaccurate records goes both ways. If there is a genocide today, we probably know about it, and someone at least makes a note in Wikipedia. In the past, ethnic groups could be erased with no one (other than the people involved in the war) noticing. The fact that the list of known genocides in 20th century is longer than the list of known genocides in e.g. 12th century is mostly because of better bookkeeping.
And yet, despite choosing a century randomly (if I tried on purpose, I could have chosen e.g. the 13th century with Albigenian Crusade as a good example), Wikipedia mentions “Massacre of the Latins” with about 60 000 dead in the 12th century. In a world where the population was not even 1⁄10 of what it is today, so relatively comparable with the numbers that you have mentioned. And we have no idea about what massacres might have happened in 12th century Africa.
So yes, today we have more victims in absolute numbers, but that’s because we have larger populations and stronger weapons. When you have to kill your enemies using a hand axe, I guess you get quite tired after chopping off dozen heads. With a nuke, you just press a button and thousands die. And yet, despite the other side having nukes, most Japanese survived WW2. (Which is something they totally did not expect, given their usual behavior towards defeated enemies.) The people in the past were as efficient at killing their enemies with swords, as we are with the weapons of mass destruction today.
“Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.” (1 Samuel 15:3) Tell me again how civilians were not considered valid targets in the past.
You mention compelling prisoners of war to labor, as an analogy to slavery. Yeah, but that was an exception during the war. (Except for the Soviets, who conveniently kept many of the prisoners of war long after the war was over.) Now compare to a situation thousand years ago, when the slave trade was a crucial part of European economy, comparable to oil trade today. The reason entire countries converted to Christianity was to stop the unending slave raids from their neighbors. (Christians had a taboo against enslaving each other. So did Muslims. Both of them considered it okay to enslave each other, and the pagans.) Or consider Africa: the first black slaves brought to America were legally bought in Africa from the local African slave traders. Americans did not invent slavery; they just provided a huge new market for it.
Sorry, I think it is you who needs to learn history. Yes, humans suck today; the “Noble Savages” were not any better, probably much worse.