Well said, Sophocleese!

Given the fact that human beings have neither the teeth nor the digestive tract of a carnivore....

I have always doubted that humanity began as the traditional cave man, armed with club or spear, trudging off into the wilderness to batter and stab large hairy animals, and drag the meat back home to their admiring womenfolk.

Phooey! I think that's just the prevailing mythology of our particular era.

I think it far more likely that humanity began as peaceful fruit and plant eaters, since our digestive system is admirably designed for that purpose, and who would not choose peace if conditions easily allowed it?

Later, when there was a severe climatic change (ice age), killing off much of the edible vegetation, people were forced to turn to eating meat (as has always been the case in the far northerly regions), and using weapons...then came the popularly conceived age of the "caveman". Then came war. Harsh conditions produce harsh people.

I also believe the earlier advanced civilizations were matriarchal...as has been touched on already in this thread.

- LH