This chapter provides a historical context for the book, showing how terrorism has changed over three major periods: from its origins to the mid-twentieth century, the latter half of the twentieth century, and the emerging post-9/11 era. While the essential nature of terrorism has remained unchanged, many of its manifestations have mutated and adapted in response to some of the same circumstances that have induced and discouraged it.

Early Forms of Terrorism: Babylon and Rome, Asia, Europe, and America

Much of the world has become preoccupied with terrorism since September 11, 2001, but the terror dragon has in fact been marauding the planet for many centuries. Let us look at some of the more prominent episodes of terrorism over the past three millennia.

Ancient Era. Acts of violence consistent with most definitions of terrorism are about as old as crime and war. Before the creation of sovereign nation-states, battles among men in defense of their tribes and territories, or to conquer others, often crossed the line to inflict damage on noncombatant populations. Among the earliest recorded such acts were those associated with the conquest of the kingdom of Judah and destruction of temples in Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, in the sixth century bce (before the Common Era, pre-Christ). The assassinations of Roman emperors – Julius Caesar in 44 bce, Caligula in 41 ce, Galba in 68 ce, Domitian in 96 ce, Commodus in 193 ce, and others – are often cited as other examples of early acts of terrorism.