Paper in progress: Alexander's Use of Intelligence Informat

[rick]

Dear Forum Members - I have finally decided to write a paper reference Alexander's use of intelligence information. I believe Alexander was one of the true military leaders who appreciated the art of "knowing thy enemy." As I read and re-read my various sources on Alexander, I have been noting cases and incidents supporting his use of intelligence. For example, Curtius in The History of Alexander wrote of AlexanderGÇÖs use of a prisoner as a guide to circumvent the forces of Ariobarzanes. Curtius also addressed how Alexander received intelligence from the Babylonian Bagistanes. As I said, I will be reading and re-reading my sources for more examples, but I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or hints of what other things forum members have read. Of course, my paper will acknowledge all assistance. I hope to eventually finish this endeavor by May 2003. Thanks in advance for all your assistance and best wishes.Rick Bodnar, Jr.

[George]

Hey there,I'm not going to give you an elaborate answer, not because of lack of time but because of lack of knowledge.What I can do though is suggest that you read Fuller's "The generalship of alexander the great" which up to now is the best source on Alexander's generalship... (how he used intelligence... his leadership...). I think it's a very reliable source.All the best and please let us know when you publish your thesis, I would love to take a read.George

[marcus]

Rick,Glad to see that you're getting down to this project. You mentioned it when you first joined the forum so it will be great to see it written. This isn't an area that I'm very familiar with, apart from noting what we do glean from the sources. I think also that we mustn't underestimate the tremendous information that Alexander must have got from the Persians who defected to him after Gaugamela - Mazaeus, Artabazus etc. Although the sources don't specifically mention information that they will have provided, it must have been invaluable. The same goes for people like Taxiles in India, and then Porus - and of course there is the explicit example of the descriptions Alexander received of what lay beyond the Hydaspes (whether or not it was accurate).It's an interesting topic, so good luck. Don't forget to keep the forum posted on progress!All the bestMarcus

[nick]

Rick -I would suggest using Briant's From Cyrus to Alexander too. Although expensive and 1000+ pages it has the best analysis of the structure of Persian administration at the time of Alexander's invasion.Regards -
Nick

[rick]

Thanks, George. I have Fuller, but haven't read it yet.

[rick]

Thanks, Nick. I haven't seen it, but will look for it. On a related note, I just read a short article by a Professor Rose Mary Sheldon (Norwich University), concerning the Persians' use of their postal service for intelligence gathering and transmission. It was in the American Intelligence Journal, Autumn/Winter 92/93.

[rick]

Marcus - Interesting that you should mention the Persian contribution. Please see my response to Nick. I hope to get a better understanding of how Alexander may have gleamed from the Persians, as far as techniques of information-gathering. But from my preliminary research already, I believe Alexander started practicing intelligence collection at an early age. Can't recall the source offhand, but I recall reading how Alexander would question emissaries on details of their travels and their homelands when they called on Phillip.

[dean]

Hi Rick, nice to hear from you. This paper of yours regarding "intelligence"seems to be a really good idea-good luck! Olympias- the queen of espionage must have taught Alex a trick or two. The following may or may not be of use. I realise that Signori Manfredi got a slamming on this forum but in his attempt at Alexander he tries to conjure up a character who fits the pattern of "grass" See Eumolpo of Solos. And even goes as far as to say that Alexander nearly lost one of his battles due to his betrayal.But I advise extreme caution when using Manfredi. I have checked his series for historical inaccuracies and lets just say it has one or two. Also he has a tendency to make up people just to spice up the prose. To close, good luck on your new project- I hope some day to read it.Dean.

[dean]

Hello Rick,it is me again. Yesterday afternoon I had my copy of the Iliad to hand and was reading when suddenly I read something that may also be of interest. In book 10-Dolon, son of Eumedes a Trojan spy appears- he is subsequently killed by Diomedes. Would it be possible that Alexander was aware of the concept of a spy through the Iliad and this character Dolon? This book was taken as more of a book of accurate historicity than legend. Regards, Dean.