[rawgabbit]

Respectfully. The idea that civilization makes men weak is bullshit. It was the agrarian centralized societies that waged war and destroyed the nomadic hunter gatherers. The more centralized, the more technologically advanced, the more successful a society is in war.

The exception to this rule is when a society destroyed itself through civil war. The western Roman empire destroyed itself during the Crisis of the Third Century when one regional commander after another declared himself emperor. Even during Augustus' time, the elite had a habit of cutting off their sons thumbs to avoid being conscripted into the legions.

The steppe nomads who conquered China (Mongols), Persia (Mongols), Byzantines (Turks), and India (Moghuls) were able to rule for centuries thereafter even after becoming "civilized". I would also argue this "civilizing" process was also a myth. The ruling elite kept their own traditions and cultures and lived separately from the people they ruled.

[pc86]

Civilization makes a society successful in war because of the destructive power of the weaponry available. But it absolutely seems reasonable that individual people could be less fit for physical combat as the above aspects of civilization (materialism, luxury, etc.)