When was the first war in human history?

Warfare is as old as civilization itself, and some experts believe that the earliest armed discords surfaced more than 10,000 years ago among prehistoric city-states of the Fertile Crescent [1]. These early confrontations were likely waged over resources, goods, or land. Yet, since these events predate the advent of writing by some 7,000 years, we have scant data from them, save for what archaeologists have been able to glean from the smallest fragments of information.

Following the revolutionary invention of cuneiform scripts by the Sumerian civilization (circa 3200 BCE), early scribes from Mesopotamia left behind history’s first-known preserved accounts of the war, involving Sumerians and Elamites, in and around the area of modern Basra, Iraq.

Although historians and archeologists have meager details of its causes, some speculate that it, most likely, emerged when the belligerent parties began to compete for limited resources – precisely when agriculture began to replace millenary, well-established hunter-gatherer lifestyles. Indeed, scholars believe this remote confrontation took place circa 2700 BCE, between the forces of Sumer and Elam when king Enembaragesi [2] led the Sumerians to victory.

At any rate, this remote conflict most likely constitutes just the first of a nearly constant series of ongoing military clashes in the region; given the archaic nature of both realms. As such, it is not surprising that the earliest military engagement was fought in the region when the Sumerians – led by Enembaragesi, King of Kish – defeated an invading force of Elamites, who represented their most significant historical foe.

Enembaragesi is known from inscriptions about him on vase fragments, as well as from later traditions. He was the penultimate ruler of the first dynasty of Kish.

He “despoiled the weapons of the land of Elam,” one inscription asserts.

His son, Agga, was the last king of such a dynasty, owing to his defeat by legendary Gilgamesh – king of Uruk - according to the Sumerian epic Gilgamesh and Agga of Kish.

ADDENDA

• The Sumerians called themselves "black-headed people" and their territory “the land of the civilized lords.”
• The Elamites defined themselves as “Servants of Kirwashir” [3] and called their territory “HALTAMTI”.

Enembaragesi - King of Kish

[1] The Fertile Crescent is a horseshoe-shaped region in the Middle East, spanning modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, together with the northern region of Kuwait, southeastern Turkey, and the western portion of Iran.
[2] Enembaragesi (or Enmebaragesi) was the penultimate king of the First Dynasty of Kish [4] and is recorded as having reigned for “900 years” in the Sumerian King List.
[3] Kirwashir was an important Elamite divinity.
[4] The First Dynasty of Kish (c. 4401-2844 BCE) was the first Sumerian lineage after the “Great Flood,” according to most Sumerian King Lists. When the city of Kish was excavated, the earliest level was from the Jemdet Nasr period, ca. 2800-2400 BCE.

 An amusing conjecture – A Roman Earth (in an Alternate Universe) - FICTION 
Updated on June 12, 2022 (whereby some 2008 errors have been rectified)

The premise of this short story is based on currently popular scientific discussions about the Multiverse – which were recently developed after the String Theorists defeated an earlier group of Physicists in connection with the number of existing dimensions (Nine versus Eleven dimensions)

Fiction Background
A brilliant disillusioned scientist from our Universe, after enduring significant personal loss, drastically turned against his society and decided to use his knowledge (sparing no effort), to fundamentally alter the status quo. To achieve this objective, the “scientific Villain” decided to brilliantly manipulate Space-Time & Gravity, thereby discovering the “Secrets of Time Travel”.

After conducting some preliminary testing with minor mammals and other primates, our brilliant Villain eventually utilized his formidable contraption to reach the Italic peninsula - circa 59 BCE - a few weeks after Julius Gaius Caesar had been elected Consul of the Roman Republic; a few weeks after having solidified a strategic alliance with Pompey (offering his daughter Julia’s hand in marriage) – approximately two decades before the Roman Civil War was “scheduled” to unfold...

After managing a successful meeting with the newly elected Consul, the mischievous scientist using the disguise of a Messenger from Jupiter (the Roman “main God”) bestowed Julius Caesar with the “Gift of Foresight” into a possible “future World” where his assassination and the eventual downfall of Rome would have been ordained... Therefore, under the clever pretext whereby the gods favored the Consul, our Villain disclosed to Julius the necessary information thereby preventing the unfolding of such distressing events; this gift should be perceived as a token of Jupiter’s favor and was designed to ensure the eternal Glory of Rome under the Guidance of the Consul (soon named Emperor) and his successors, following the wise counsel of the Divine envoy (who was readily nominated a Roman Senator, Chief Scholar and First Advisor to the Throne)

Unlike most similar Sci-Fi stories (based on “Time Travel”), because of the Multiverse (and its eleven dimensions) and unlike the presumption whereby the plot’s Creator, the original “timeline,” would not be endangered despite the Scientist’s Machiavellian deeds… Rather, instead of altering his world’s history, his interference simply triggered the automatic creation of a separate Universe which would unfold along a separate but parallel pathway, parallel to the original one, which would proceed impervious of the above-referenced developments in its Ancient Past….

THE ACTUAL STORY

Date - December 5, 2110 AG
In that newly created Universe, following the time when our Villain embarked on his adventure into the mysteries of Time-Space (2008 CE/AD), due to a completely different calendar (based on distinct Time-Keeping conventions) the current year reads 2110 AG – where AG stands for “After” (Julius) “Gaius” (Caesar’s birth).
Location - Roma Novae, Luna Province

A group of Privileged school children eagerly trailed their Tutor during a special visit to the oldest Museum on Luna – the site of the very first Roman colony in space – at the center of "Roma Novae's" main module. As the pupils admired the amazing museum’s façade, ancient-looking Doric and Ionic columns – the remarkable construction of which had been the first to combine Classical design with the necessary technical requirements of Surface exposed to vacuum and solar radiation - built during the early days of space exploration, a mere 100 years following Planet Rome’s colonization of outer space (400 years ago).
Like most students anywhere in the vast Roman Empire, the youngsters were often querying their impatient History Preceptor about nearly everything spotted along their pathway, particularly after reaching the old Lunar Temples of Jupiter, Minerva, and Dionysius, where the tutor finally located the museum’s section devoted for Ancient Terran History and Early Mythological Creeds. Relived for reaching the intended area – specially selected for his monthly “in locus” class – after examining priceless Sumerian, Babylonian and Greek statues, as well as various artifacts and papyrus from Terra – which survived not only the rigors of time but also the challenge of an arduous space tow to Luna aboard an ancient Space-Galley Freighter, the teacher leads the curious pupils towards the section hosting the “Early Pre-Atlantic” religions (Roman-given denomination for the period preceding America’s discovery - settled by the Romans in 957 CE/AD), when he is suddenly interrupted, once again, by the most curious of the little rascals in the group – the elder son of the Lunar Consul.

The lad was rudely pointing to a curious-looking wooden object nearly concealed by a statue of an equally ancient Roman Governor – it was a tiny cross… Annoyed, after taking a particularly deep sigh, the History Preceptor decides to indulge the prominent youngster, mostly due to the influence of his father, and replies in a surprised manner:
“Are you actually curious about this small contraption?
Ah, silly boy! The wooden object represents nothing but a mere mythological symbol associated with an obscure ancient sect of maniacal rebels…
If my memory serves, I understand such criminals were followers of one of the first Terrorists in recorded history – a bizarre criminal from Judea who was executed about two millennia ago”.

When further questioned whether the historical rebels had engaged any followers in Judea, the frustrated tutor reprimanded:
“Well, according to historical data, I understand there was a small group of followers, even in Rome! Yet to prevent further dissemination of their dangerous beliefs the Imperial authorities exterminated most of the fanatics within a few decades, mostly in the Roman main arena of the time: the Coliseum, located in the Imperial Capital on Terra. Now, just concentrate on important issues relating to your studies, and leave aside further considerations regarding any such irrelevant issues that bear little or no significant impact upon the course of History!”

Upon pronouncing his lasting words of wisdom, the History Preceptor quickly led the excited group of pupils along to the vast rooms of the main Lunar Museum.

ACTUAL HISTORICAL REFERENCE:
Gaius Julius Caesar, July 12, 102 BCE – March 15, 44 BCE (Roman Republic)