Re: (TFT) War, supportability, and economy

[<dwtulloh61@cox.net>]

Interesting ideas, Mark!

---- Mark Tapley <mtapley@swri.edu> wrote: 
> Not that such a thing as human "surplus males" exist except 
> in a society where females are seen as chattel and alpha males 
> want to demonstrate power by hoarding (female) chattel; by 
> design, birth rates are very close to 50/50 male/female.

Or you rule by fiat, ie the Zulus - where the males were not allowed
to marry until they had "washed their spears," ie, killed someone 
in battle.

> What's overlooked often is that societies with high ratios of 
> females/males did *not* grow rapidly in most cases.

This is interesting, something I hadn't seen before.  I recall 
reading somewhere that when women are grouped together,
their periods tend to synchronize.  If true, I would think that it 
would become harder for one male to get them all pregnant 
at the same time.

> The jealousies and other emotional imbalances between 
> the wives (and hence mothers) led to jealousies 

Probably mostly due to the notion that the oldest surviving male
heir had claim to all of the lands and property of the father.

Dan
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