Who were the spies of the Roman Army? Full video: [ Ссылка ]

The Roman Army was a juggernaut in battle but one of its Achilles heels was its intelligence systems. Failings in this regard could have catastrophic results and is to blame for many of Rome's worst defeats. As a result, the Roman Legions eventually developed a Unit of Military Spies known as the Speculatores which could serve as the eyes and ears of the Roman Army.

You can learn more about the Units of History through our documentary series:

THE AFRICANS
Nubian Archers : [ Ссылка ]
The Sacred Band of Carthage : [ Ссылка ]
Carthaginian War Elephants : [ Ссылка ]
The Numidian Cavalry : [ Ссылка ]

THE NEAR EAST
The 10,000 Immortals : [ Ссылка ]
Sassanid Horse Archers: [ Ссылка ]

THE BYZANTINES
Byzantine Flamethrowers and Grenadiers : [ Ссылка ]
The Varangian Guard : [ Ссылка ]

THE HELLENISTIC WORLD
Macedonian Silver Shields : [ Ссылка ]
Macedonian Companion Cavalry : [ Ссылка ]
The Spartan Skiritai : [ Ссылка ]
The Spartan Royal Guard : [ Ссылка ]
The Sacred Band of Thebes : [ Ссылка ]
Mycenaean Chariots : [ Ссылка ]
Balearic Slingers : [ Ссылка ]

THE ROMANS
Roman Cataphracts : [ Ссылка ]
Roman Army Spies : [ Ссылка ]
Roman Army Scouts : [ Ссылка ]

THE NORTHMEN
The Jomsvikings Mercenaries : [ Ссылка ]
Viking Berserkers : [ Ссылка ]
Early Germanic Warriors : [ Ссылка ]
Briton War Chariots : [ Ссылка ]

THE EASTERN EUROPEANS
The Druzhina : [ Ссылка ]

Bibliography and Suggested Reading:
Roman Warfare by Adrian Goldsworthy
Exploratio: Military & Political Intelligence in the Roman World from the Second Punic War to the Battle of Adrianople By N. J. E. Austin, N. B. Rankov
Spies and spying in Caesar’s “Bellum Gallicum” by Jane Crawford
The "Missing Dimension" of C. Julius Caesar by Amiram Ezov
The Scouts of the Late Roman Army and a Disputed Etymology by Philip Rance

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