Ancient Espionage: The History of Intelligence

Rachael Riggs

National American University

Henley-Putnam

10/2019

Ancient Espionage: The History of Intelligence

“Surveillance is a weapon meant to keep its targets off balance and make them feel powerless against the state” (Williams, 2015). Some may agree with this; I, however, do not. Surveillance is used to protect and to keep order. Benefits that come from appropriately utilized and ethical surveillance can be undeniable. Surveillance is far from new technology. The use of such forms of protection has been around since the beginning of time. The world we live in today shows us glimpses of where we have come from as far back as ancient Greece.

In ancient Greece, the Greeks prided themselves on their strength, their honor, and the bravery of their men. The Greeks insisted that they would win any war by power and ambush; however, their warfare was irrelevant without the use of intelligence. The Greeks did not have a structured intelligence system, but they understood the importance of such knowledge. (Sheldon, Ancient Espionage: The Greeks and the Great Game, 2017) They realized that getting information to their leader quickly would benefit them. They understood that knowing their enemy and gathering knowledge on him would help win wars. (Sheldon, Tradecraft in ancient Greece, 1986)

The Greeks were known to have been the first in the teaching of the art of war. Intelligence is never more critical than it is in warfare. Knowing this, the Greeks developed ways to transport information and ways to spy on enemies. Ciphers were used as well as wax message boards that were written on then covered in wax to appear as a personal tablet. A dot system was used where a book would have dots next to each letter throughout the book. One would write the letters until the message was revealed. Notes were attached under the collar of dogs, and they would run to return to their owner carrying the hidden words. Not only dogs were used as a way for animals to relay information, but Pigeons were trained to transport messages between posts. Rolled letters would be tied to their bodies before they were sent off to deliver their news. Another way that information could transfer without being noticed is by shaving the heads of messengers and writing what they had to report on their bare heads. When the messenger would arrive at the recipient, they would shave his head to read the message. (Sheldon, Tradecraft in ancient Greece, 1986) How the Greeks found to conceal their words consists of a surprisingly long list of techniques. During this time with minimal language and writing skills and even less technology, these practices helped to maintain secrecy and prevent the enemy from gaining insight into any secret planning.

Iliad Book 10 describes one instance of Greek spying against the Trojans (Burke, n.d.) Odysseus led the Greeks in the war against the Trojans when he devised a plan to construct a large horse. The Greeks would appear to sail away, and the Trojans would bring the horse into the gates of their empire. The Greeks had hidden inside the horse, and when night had fallen, they emerged, and with little effort, they conquered the Trojans. (Myths and Legends, 2019)

Not far from Greece, the Romans were devising ways to construct a robust intelligence within Rome. They had a secret police system known as Frumentarii. The Frumentarii had begun as grain officers that handled the grain supply. They became an imperial post as they would process information between the emperor and his administrators. The Frumentarii were entrusted with spying on the citizens of Rome and relaying their findings back to the emperor. The locals were not fond of the Frumentarii, and as their unpopularity grew, they were replaced with a more clandestine group. This new secretive service, known as “Agentes in Rebus" or translated to "Agents in Affairs." These agents would monitor Rome's internal threats. They were known to have existed from approximately the 4^th to the 7^th Century. (Dvornik, 1893)

The Romans perceived the significance to protect Rome from invaders. They enacted a surveillance network. They built large-signal towers that lined the riverbank. These towers would send fire signals at night. “These towers secured their borders by putting vision on them.” Knowing that the enemy that threatened Rome would report back what they had seen is how Rome controlled access to their empire. (Williams, 2015)

Torre Delle Milizia is a watchtower near Trajan's Market in Rome. From the top, the person was able to see 6.5 km around the tower in ideal conditions. (Williams, 2015)

Aeneas was the author of the book of strategy. He used a Codebook, which includes numbers for words needed in the military, such as "halt," "advance," and "retreat." One of the first military cryptology can be dated back to 357 BC. The Polybius Square Cipher, as well as the Ceasar Cipher, are well-known Cipher's created during this time in history. (Boone, 2005) Polybius talked about the use of fire signals and communicating with torches and tablets to relay information. (Edwards, 1922-1927) The Greeks, the Romans, and those of the Byzantine Empire understood the need for Intelligence. Their militaries could not be as effective without it. Wars and cities would have been lost had intelligence not been used. Emperors ruled with the desire to know their friends and their enemies. To protect their position and their lives, emperors enlisted spies to oversee and hear all the empire.

Our modern world today is based on this history. Throughout time we have reconstructed and recreated ways to improve upon those first forms of intelligence. We have significantly advanced, and the technology today is far different than it was then. However, the ideas behind what was desired to be accomplished are still the same.

In America, we have a Secret Service, and the CIA could be compared to the Agentes in Rebus as both being a clandestine service with agents handling covert affairs. The watchtowers today have evolved with time into satellite imagery and drone video footage. Spies and informants still exist just as they did then, within this hidden world.

Communication during that time usually took place via written word, the same holds true today but in a different form and different delivery method. Many of the communication transportation methods described, such as the shaving of the head and the wax tablets, can be seen today in Steganography. Steganography is the process of hiding information in digital files so that they appear as typical files. Encrypting a message is the same technique as was used in ancient times when they would send an illegible message that required deciphering such as with Ciphers. Message transportation went from horses and ships to the telegraph, and today a letter can be received in milliseconds with the use of a computer. Watermarking a message is similar to that of stamping royal messages. (Warkentin, Bekkering, & Schmidt, 2008) Documents were marked secret back then just as they are now. The only difference now is the strict guidelines for the markings.

The propaganda of ancient times was done so by spreading false rumors and inventing information. Today propaganda is used in the same way; it is just delivered differently through forms of television, radio, billboards, magazines, internet, social media. Instead of spies hiding out and listening to conversations now, wiretaps are utilized, and messages intercepted. Although trespassing to gain information still takes place, data can be obtained by hacking into computers and networks and even video and security cameras. (Sheldon, Everything Old is New Again: Espionage and Stratagems in Ancient Iraq and Syria, 2016) (Andrew, 2018)

History has helped to invent the world we live in today. Technology advancements have significantly expanded since ancient times, but ancient espionage and the many forms of intelligence used throughout history into today, have always had the same underlying purpose. Gain information about the enemy, protect your information from the enemy, protect your land, and know your traitors. Intelligence collection has a vast history, and espionage is one of the oldest professions. There is a beauty that lies in the art. Those that created useful intelligence and the enhancements since prove the necessity of such a service. Then, now, and into the future.

References

Andrew, C. (2018). Secret World: A history of intelligence. New Haven & London: Yale University Press.

Boone, J. (2005). History of Cryptology first edition. Naval Institute Press.

Burke, E. (n.d.). Iliad Book 10 summary. Retrieved from Study.com: https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-iliad-book-10-summary.html

Dvornik, F. (1893). Origins of Intelligence Services. Rahway, NJ: Quinn & Boden Company, Inc.

Edwards, H. (1922-1927). Polybius the histories. Loeb Classical Library. Retrieved from Fragments of Book X: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Polybius/10*.html

Myths and Legends. (2019). Odysseus. Retrieved from Myths and Legends: http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Ni-Pa/Odysseus.html

Sheldon, R. M. (1986, September 22). Tradecraft in ancient Greece. CIA Historical Review Program, 30(Spring). Retrieved 1993, from http://www.guerrillascholar.com/archive/TradecraftinAncientGreece.pdf

Sheldon, R. M. (2016, December 29). Everything Old is New Again: Espionage and Stratagems in Ancient Iraq and Syria. Retrieved from War on the Rocks: https://warontherocks.com/2016/12/everything-old-is-new-again-espionage-and-stratagems-in-ancient-iraq-and-syria/

Sheldon, R. M. (2017, October 20). Ancient Espionage: The Greeks and the Great Game. YouTube. Retrieved from

;list=PLeboxRIMPgdSNZ3n31N8B_VNWrIDKLud8&index=7&t=0s

Warkentin, M., Bekkering, E., & Schmidt, M. B. (2008). Steganography: Forensic, Security, and Legal Issues. Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law, 3(2), 17-34. doi:211221038

Williams, J. (2015, October 1). Surveillance and Espionage in the Roman Empire. TEDxTalks. Retrieved from