Arcana Imperii: Roman political intelligence, counterintelligence, and covert action in the Mid-Republic
Date
2016
Authors
Perley, Sara
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Abstract
The general scholarly conception of Roman military and
political intelligence is that it was so poor as to be virtually
non-existent, that Roman armies and officials blundered through
their affairs and their world with little understanding or
appreciation of the utility and importance of intelligence about
their friends, foes, and neighbours. Some scholars who address
the growth of the Roman empire make assumptions about
intelligence usage; those who investigate intelligence practices
more closely tend to focus on military intelligence or
intelligence over long periods of Roman history. The conclusion
usually reached is that the Roman state valued and practiced
intelligence very poorly. There are no studies that focus
specifically on political intelligence, and none that focuses on
a specific period of Roman history. This study aims to illuminate
the realities of Roman political intelligence for the period of
the mid-republic, and attempts to provide a more nuanced
understanding of Rome’s appreciation for and use of
intelligence techniques in their international relations.
Analysis of ancient sources reveals that the Roman understanding
of the intelligence was neither as dire nor unsophisticated as
current scholarly consensus would have us believe. While
political intelligence endeavours often failed or from hindsight
might appear inadequate, when examined in their historical
context intelligence efforts were in fact suitable for Roman
needs. Roman officials protected their state through
counterintelligence, developed preliminary cultural dossiers
through foreknowledge, undertook concerted efforts to gain more
specific intelligence prior to major international interactions,
and on occasion engaged in covert activities to improve their
position and ensure their national security. This is indicative
of an attitude toward the broader Mediterranean world they
inhabited, and their place in that world which was neither
blindly aggressive nor defensive, that was neither passive nor
opportunistic, but that was considered, sophisticated, and
appreciative of the complexities of the Mediterranean
international system.
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Intelligence, Middle Republican Rome, Imperialism, Covert Action, Counterintelligence, Mid-Republic, Rome
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