2020/11/12 by Keith F. Otterbein · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Eurasian Exchange Networks
paper · doi:10.4324/9781003102588-3
openalex publication_date 2020/11/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The evolution of Zulu warfare can be analyzed in terms of a progression of types of wars, the types being named for the goals of war. Although anthropological literature is replete with references to Zulu warfare and to Shaka, the famous Zulu warrior-king, there is no brief analytic treatment of the development of Zulu warfare prior to and during Shaka&s;s reign. This chapter uses both qualitative and quantitative data on Zulu wars to graphically show the trends and changes which occurred during this thirty-year period. In particular, it focuses on the factors which produced changes in the casualty rates of Zulu wars. The following factors are selected for treatment as independent variables: type of weapons, type of formations or tactics, type of military organization, and goals or reasons for war. Changes in one or more of these variables led to changes in casualty rates.