Point of view
I majored in history at a Catholic college. I know that there are other people who write with more depth and scholarship than the Durants.
My point was, their viewpoint was entirely ruling class. Their opinion is reflected in their writing. That the lower economic classes are depicted as some kind of savages should not be a surprise to anyone, as it's a standard opinion in those circles. It's also not true, but one would have to spend some time in the social company of laboring people to discover this.