It was ever thus.

A detail of our village castle, Knockhall, which  was the home of the Laird of Udny until it burned down in 1734. 
At ground floor all of the castle walls are pierced by arrow slits and cannon loops. The photograph shows a vertical arrow slit and across the darkness of the room you can see a circular gun loop in the opposite wall.
I am afraid that the aggression and blood lust currently afflicting the desperate people of Ukraine have always been part of human nature.