Espionage in the Ancient World: An Annotated Bibliography of Books and Articles in Western Languages

Intelligence activities have always been an integral part of statecraft. Ancient governments, like modern ones, realized that to keep their borders safe, control their populations, and keep abreast of political developments abroad, they needed a means to collect the intelligence which enabled them to make informed decisions. Today we are well aware of the damage spies can do. Here, for the first time, is a comprehensive guide to the literature of ancient intelligence. The entries present books and periodical articles in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, and Dutch--with annotations in English. These works address such subjects as intelligence collection and analysis (political and military), counterintelligence, espionage, cryptology (Greek and Latin), tradecraft, covert action, and similar topics (it does not include general battle studies and general discussions of foreign policy). Sections are devoted to general espionage, intelligence related to road building, communication, and tradecraft, intelligence in Greece, during the reign of Alexander the Great and in the Hellenistic Age, in the Roman republic, the Roman empire, the Byzantine empire, the Muslim world, and in Russia, China, India, and Africa. The books can be located in libraries in the United States; in cases where volumes are in one library only, the author indicates where they may be found.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Acknowledgments     Foreword     Preface     Introduction     Glossary     ESPIONAGE General     Road Building, Communications, Tradecraft     THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST Mesopotamia and Palestine     Egypt     Assyria and Babylonia     Persia     GREECE General     The Skytale     Tachygraphy     The Spartan Krypteia     Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age     THE ROMAN REPUBLIC General     Tironian Notes     THE ROMAN EMPIRE General     Signalling     THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE General     Greek Fire     MEDIEVAL WORLD General     Dubthach Cipher & the Bamberg Cryptogram     Oghams     Bacon Cipher     Runes     The Voynich Manuscript     THE ISLAMIC WORLD General     Yezidis     RUSSIA, CHINA, INDIA, AFRICA Russia     China and Southeast Asia     India     Africa     An Unsolved Cryptogram: The Sator Rebus     Index    

About the Author :
R.M. Sheldon is a professor of history and department head at the Virginia Military Institute. She currently serves on the editorial board of The Journal of Military History, Small Wars and Insurgencies and the International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence. She is the author of numerous books and articles on intelligence gathering in the ancient world and lives in Buena Vista, Virginia.

Review :
“splendid...accessible format with excellent indexes...provides a wealth of information...recommended”—Booklist; “well researched, organized and indexed...an excellent work...highly recommended”—Choice; “delightful and impressive work...highly informative...a reader could learn much from merely reading the introductions, annotations, and reviews”—Reference & User Services Quarterly; “a very valuable handbook for students of warfare in ancient, medieval, and nonwestern cultures, as well as for those interested in the history of intelligence”—www.strategypage.com; “a very valuable handbook”—The NYMAS Review; “an essential reference work”—CIA Website; “an immensely useful compilation...authority on the subject...the organization of the collection is solid and intelligent”—Military History; “comprehensive...worthwhile”—Cryptologia; “the first comprehensive guide to the literature of ancient intelligence...worthwhile”—The Cryptogram.