Sure, there was conflict between societies. But again, this is an exaggerated view of just how much there was. I haven't seen many studies quantifying it. But given the sheer scale of damage conflicts today are capable of generating, I'm not sure that the total danger of conflict to any individual would have been that much greater to any individual then than now. I think we've definitely made gains in peace and security, but I also think those gains are frequently drastically exaggerated.

My point isn't that the past was some rose colored time. Only that false assumptions about human nature are frequently used justify deeply harmful policies and institutions. And that many people speak about how humans behaved in "that past" with very little actual anthropological or historical knowledge.

> I'm not sure that the total danger of conflict to any individual would have been that much greater to any individual then than now

It is, in fact, much safer to be alive today than any other point in history. And a much lower chance of dying from violence due to other humans.

In fact there's a whole book about this if you're interested: https://www.amazon.com/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/...