Here is a kind of tension within "civilization" and what we now think of as civilized. It exists to a degree in all later stage civilizations, from what I can tell.

Civilizations and empires are created by "violent savages". Also patriarchal, warlike, unequal, and bigoted.

Those last traits did not bother people so much in the past.

Anyway, does anyone think that any great polity/culture was made by a bunch of people that won't even form a gang or get into blood feuds and duels to the death? People that held pacifistic ideals as a norm?

The way the modern European is, we're on the way out. Really badly off. I see migrants and Muslims and whoever else condemned all the time, for being violent savages. My question is why aren't we more like that? Few would dare mess with people more like our own ancestors.

The tension in later stage civilization is that they see "the barbarian" as utterly different than the "civilized man". When in fact, barbarians were the civilized man's ancestors, and their harsher, barbaric ways were responsible for the power and wealth of the civilization.

It is also a strange fact of civilization that they will look down on the barbarians for their wars and feuds and duels. But see no problem with their civilization wiping out or subjugating masses of people, far beyond the limited wars of the barbarians ever do.

Though at least, at that point the civilization still has some vigor in it. It gets really bad when all rigor and harshness disappear from the core population. They become grammarians, servants, libertines, and so on, and rely on more savage border people or foreigners to fight.