La organización de la inteligencia militar y de los "servicios secretos" en el ejército romano

Abstract

Throughout the ages, information gathering has been one of the main functions of all armies. Military commanders were aware very early of the need to investigate the enemy to gain advantage on the battlefield. The Roman army was no exception to this, as can be observed from evidence of how Roman troops already carried out this kind of tasks in the early days. Nevertheless, this was not the only activity related to information gathering in which the military institution was involved. Changes associated to Augustus Principate establishment eventually affected certain of the Roman army‘s functions in this area. Attached to the emergence of an autocratic and unipersonal rule was the need to monitor society, a task that was entrusted to certain members of the Roman army. The main purpose of this paper is to analyse this aspect of the Roman troops from the Republican era to the end of the Principate, paying special attention to the organization of the forces allocated for such purpose and to the existence of units or sections within the military institution that might have been specialized in such activities.