Wally wrote:
Not quite true. The noble savage idea dates back as far as the Greek and
Roman philosophers. It would seem that in *any* civilization there are those
detractors who wish for a simpler lifestyle (been there, done that). The
noble savage concept reached its pinnacle during the primitivism movement of
the 18th century.

The primitivism movement was well employed by colonial imperialist forces to
subjugate those very poor savages. For example, in India it provided British
with dominance of cotton. 

On the other hand, use of allegations of savagery against Arabs and Jews
remains a unique historical contribution of Roman Catholicism, greatly
predating the 18th century.