I don't think this is correct. I could mention many cases where the objective was annihilation of the enemy and the destruction of a country. The men were killed and the women and children were enslaved. This was the ancient norm.
I'll mention the battle of Cannae, where 60% of the Roman army of 86,000 was killed in one day, in hand to hand fighting with spears, lances, and swords:
>I'll mention the battle of Cannae, where 60% of the Roman army of 86,000 was killed in one day, in hand to hand fighting with spears, lances, and swords:
Point being, Cannae is in the top 3 battles for the entire history of ancient Rome. That's 500 years of warfare, with a few instances of casualties at that level. Whereas, those kind of casualties were a normal occurrence that would hardly make the news on the Western Front in WW1, or the eastern front in WW2.
It's also about the sheer brutality of modern warfare. People were never disembowled into hundreds of pieces on a regular basis in ancient warfare. You never had the experience of watching an entire column of troops next to you be vaporized instantly. It's a completely powerless experience, as opposed to hand to hand fighting with an enemy you can confront face to face.
I'll mention the battle of Cannae, where 60% of the Roman army of 86,000 was killed in one day, in hand to hand fighting with spears, lances, and swords:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cannae#Battle_2
I could also mention the total destruction, leveling, and possible salting of Carthage.