We tend to take for granted that the word "values" and the concept it represents are universal and timeless. The idea that morality is subjective and individualistic is so pervasive that most Westerners see it as a self-evident truth and find it difficult to even conceptualize an alternative truth claim.
The evidence indicates otherwise; most times and places see morality as objective and found in all "humans" (though who is "human" is often limited to "those who are of my tribe or culture").
Two data points:
1. The term "morals" declines and the term "values" grows dramatically from 1800 to 2000 - see this comparison generated by Google's very cool Ngrams tool
2. Chapter 3 of this doctoral dissertation discusses the history of the concept.
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