eli5: has there ever been a time when there were vegan civilization(s), or is veganism a new thing in the history of humans
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All three major Indian religions (Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism) promote nonviolence as a major moral obligation, which very often includes not eating animals. Wikipedia says that eating animal meat had become a major taboo in India by 200 CE, and around 45% of Hindus today report that they are vegetarian. This is much more common in the north/west part of the country.
I don’t know if that’s the same as a whole vegetarian (not vegan) civilization, but probably the closest. For all of history, getting enough food to eat was (and still is) the first and biggest challenge of life. Choosing not to take advantage of every possible food source is generally a luxury few can afford.
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