The issue offered to the readers is based on the materials of the All-Russian scientific conference "The role of war and military affairs in the development of ancient and medieval societies" (Moscow, Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, November 21-22, 2012). The articles discuss theoretical and methodological developments used in modern science, both Russian and foreign, when studying the phenomenon of war and its place in the evolution of human society, primarily in the emergence of complex socio-political systems - chiefdoms, states, empires. The second information block is devoted to a discussion of problems and materials of a wide chronological range from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages.