Martine Diepenbroek | University of Johannesburg, South Africa (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by Martine Diepenbroek
New Classicists, 2023
According to Herodotus, the use of steganography (secret hidden communication) was common in the ... more According to Herodotus, the use of steganography (secret hidden communication) was common in the Near East, and stood in contrast to open clear communication in Greece. Later, in Herodotus’ Histories, we also see that the author link the Spartans to this covert messaging – as some of the first Greek to adopt this practice from Near Eastern states.
This article analyses the earliest examples of steganography: four secret letters that can be found in Herodotus’ Histories. In analysing these passages, we will explore the role of messaging and secret messaging in Herodotus work. In doing so, we will also explore how these stories of secret messaging were later linked to the Spartans by the Athenians during and directly after the Peloponnesian War. It will be shown that the Athenians portrayed the Spartans as stereotypical (foolish; illiterate; only able to fight) in a way that suited them best.
Hermeneus, 2023
The only cryptographic system that seems to have been used in Roman secret communications, accord... more The only cryptographic system that seems to have been used in Roman secret communications, according to our available sources, is the so-called Caesar cipher named after Julius Caesar by modern cryptographers. Caesar seems to have used his cipher to communicate with his generals over long distances – similar to the theorical Spartan use of the scytale. The Caesar cipher is often regarded as a simple substitution technique for encryption, whereby each letter of a plaintext is replaced by a letter that can be found a fixed number of positions down the alphabet. This article explores Caesar's use of this cipher.
The Ancient History Bulletin, Dec 30, 2022
Abstract: Communication security – known as cryptography and steganography – is as important to m... more Abstract: Communication security – known as cryptography and steganography – is as important to modern states, as it is to ancient ones. The earliest known original source on ancient communication security is Aeneas Tacticus’ How to Survive Under Siege. It is in Aeneas Tacticus’ work that historians of cryptography insist that we would expect to find a discussion of the cryptographic device known as the Spartan scytale had its use as a cryptographic device been known to Aeneas Tacticus. However, in this article I will show that Aeneas Tacticus had other reasons for not discussing the scytale as a
cryptograph – the main reason being that Aeneas was far more interested in
steganographic practices to physically hide messages than cryptographic practices like the scytale, used to encipher secrets.
Antigone Journal – An Open Forum for Classics, 2021
The Ancient Greeks, and in turn the Romans, seem to have been experts in the art of cryptography ... more The Ancient Greeks, and in turn the Romans, seem to have been experts in the art of cryptography (“hidden-writing”). One particularly interesting example of ancient cryptography can be found in 5th– and 4th-century BC Sparta. According to our sources, the ephors – leading magistrates who shared power with the two kings– used a scytale (a “stick” or “staff”) to communicate with commanders in the field on confidential matters.
Antigone Journal - An Open Forum for Classics , 2021
Communication security is no modern invention: the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Near Eastern peopl... more Communication security is no modern invention: the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Near Eastern people knew dozens of ways to encipher secret messages in a variety of contexts and settings. One system of communication security used by the Romans is the so-called ‘Caesar cipher’ named by modern cryptographers after its supposed inventor. How did this cipher work and when was it used?
Antigone Jounal - An Open Platfrom for Classics , 2022
ery early on in Greek history, extant sources reveal that mountain tops were clearly used both as... more ery early on in Greek history, extant sources reveal that mountain tops were clearly used both as watchtowers and as signalling stations from which secret and non-secret messages could be sent over long distances by lighting strategic fires. There are numerous extant references to this strategy for long-distance communication from the ancient world, in works not only of history but of literature too. As it was only possible to send one prearranged message using this archaic system of fire-signalling, communicating parties needing to communicate on urgent matters faced significant limitations.
Hermeneus, 2022
How the Spartans used the scytale in warfare in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE (Dutch version of '... more How the Spartans used the scytale in warfare in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE (Dutch version of 'The Spartan scytale - Ancient Warfare Magazine)
The Spartan scytale , 2021
Ancient for Ancient Warfare Magazine on Spartan secret messaging
Study into the use of secret communication in Greco-Roman warfare, partly compared with secret co... more Study into the use of secret communication in Greco-Roman warfare, partly compared with secret communication during the American Civil War
Study on religious practices in different religions, focusing on the use of a medieval Vulgate Bi... more Study on religious practices in different religions, focusing on the use of a medieval Vulgate Bible and an African charm gown.
Issue 2 by Martine Diepenbroek
Kleos Issue 2, 2019
Very early-on in Greek history mountaintops were already used as watch-towers and signalling stat... more Very early-on in Greek history mountaintops were already used as watch-towers and signalling stations from which messages could be sent over long distances by fire signals. In these earliest examples it was only possible to send one prearranged message, something that was often not sufficient in case communicating
parties needed to communicate on urgent matters. The fourthcentury BC military author Aeneas Tacticus accordingly invented a method for fire signalling, whereby a series of messages could be sent related to events that often occur in warfare. The system might have been used as a cryptographic device. Due to errors in Aeneas’ system, Polybius improved another system based on the same principles, which in turn formed the basis for the modern ‘Polybius square’, used by the Germans for their ADFGX- and ADFGVX-ciphers: secret cipher systems used in the First World War. There is no clear evidence linking Aeneas’ fire signalling method directly to the German ciphers. However, it will be shown
that Polybius used Aeneas’ system in his own fire signalling method. Polybius’ method in turn impacted the development of the Polybius square and its use in the ADFGX and ADFGVX ciphers. By analysing the ancient history of Polybius’ method for fire signalling and the merits of applying this to the use of the
square in the German ciphers, it will be shown how an ancient fire signalling method inspired modern ciphers.
Drafts by Martine Diepenbroek
Research Proposal, 2022
We know signalling by fire was used in the Greek periods for normal and secure communication and ... more We know signalling by fire was used in the Greek periods for normal and secure communication and that there are hundreds of hill-top forts from the 4th-century BCE and later in Greece. In fact, there is a whole hidden world of secret communication in the ancient world, and we cannot fully understand ancient Greek warfare without it. The aim of the current project will be to transform the scholarly understanding of the importance of different forms of secrecy and hidden communication in Greek warfare and inter-state relations. This will be achieved by a reassessment of cryptographic and steganographic methods known from ancient Greece, and by placing this investigation into a landscape context, in order to analyse to what extent these methods were able to have an impact on the nature, and even the outcomes, of warfare.
Book Reviews by Martine Diepenbroek
AHBOnlineReviews2022.07.DiepenbroekOnDevillerBattistinSebastian, 2022
In 2018 Devillier and Battistin Sebastiani published Sources et modèles des historiens anciens. T... more In 2018 Devillier and Battistin Sebastiani published Sources et modèles des historiens anciens. The work was the result of a broad international collaboration which brought together 28 chapters by specialists in their field. Its chief aim was to provide a contribution to the studies on the writing of history in Greco-Roman antiquity from Herodotus to the Byzantine Empire. Through surveys devoted to the main historians
and historical texts of this period, these different texts give rise to re-readings that take into account the historiographical projects of each. Only three years later in 2021, a second volume (Sources et modèles des historiens anciens 2) followed, containing thirty five chapters, which continues where the first volume left off. Both volumes, which are multilingual (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish) are excellent additions to the field of writing history in antiquity, because of the great variety of subjects discussed (from Herodotus to the Byzantine empire and Greek as well as Roman topics).
New Classicists, 2023
According to Herodotus, the use of steganography (secret hidden communication) was common in the ... more According to Herodotus, the use of steganography (secret hidden communication) was common in the Near East, and stood in contrast to open clear communication in Greece. Later, in Herodotus’ Histories, we also see that the author link the Spartans to this covert messaging – as some of the first Greek to adopt this practice from Near Eastern states.
This article analyses the earliest examples of steganography: four secret letters that can be found in Herodotus’ Histories. In analysing these passages, we will explore the role of messaging and secret messaging in Herodotus work. In doing so, we will also explore how these stories of secret messaging were later linked to the Spartans by the Athenians during and directly after the Peloponnesian War. It will be shown that the Athenians portrayed the Spartans as stereotypical (foolish; illiterate; only able to fight) in a way that suited them best.
Hermeneus, 2023
The only cryptographic system that seems to have been used in Roman secret communications, accord... more The only cryptographic system that seems to have been used in Roman secret communications, according to our available sources, is the so-called Caesar cipher named after Julius Caesar by modern cryptographers. Caesar seems to have used his cipher to communicate with his generals over long distances – similar to the theorical Spartan use of the scytale. The Caesar cipher is often regarded as a simple substitution technique for encryption, whereby each letter of a plaintext is replaced by a letter that can be found a fixed number of positions down the alphabet. This article explores Caesar's use of this cipher.
The Ancient History Bulletin, Dec 30, 2022
Abstract: Communication security – known as cryptography and steganography – is as important to m... more Abstract: Communication security – known as cryptography and steganography – is as important to modern states, as it is to ancient ones. The earliest known original source on ancient communication security is Aeneas Tacticus’ How to Survive Under Siege. It is in Aeneas Tacticus’ work that historians of cryptography insist that we would expect to find a discussion of the cryptographic device known as the Spartan scytale had its use as a cryptographic device been known to Aeneas Tacticus. However, in this article I will show that Aeneas Tacticus had other reasons for not discussing the scytale as a
cryptograph – the main reason being that Aeneas was far more interested in
steganographic practices to physically hide messages than cryptographic practices like the scytale, used to encipher secrets.
Antigone Journal – An Open Forum for Classics, 2021
The Ancient Greeks, and in turn the Romans, seem to have been experts in the art of cryptography ... more The Ancient Greeks, and in turn the Romans, seem to have been experts in the art of cryptography (“hidden-writing”). One particularly interesting example of ancient cryptography can be found in 5th– and 4th-century BC Sparta. According to our sources, the ephors – leading magistrates who shared power with the two kings– used a scytale (a “stick” or “staff”) to communicate with commanders in the field on confidential matters.
Antigone Journal - An Open Forum for Classics , 2021
Communication security is no modern invention: the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Near Eastern peopl... more Communication security is no modern invention: the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Near Eastern people knew dozens of ways to encipher secret messages in a variety of contexts and settings. One system of communication security used by the Romans is the so-called ‘Caesar cipher’ named by modern cryptographers after its supposed inventor. How did this cipher work and when was it used?
Antigone Jounal - An Open Platfrom for Classics , 2022
ery early on in Greek history, extant sources reveal that mountain tops were clearly used both as... more ery early on in Greek history, extant sources reveal that mountain tops were clearly used both as watchtowers and as signalling stations from which secret and non-secret messages could be sent over long distances by lighting strategic fires. There are numerous extant references to this strategy for long-distance communication from the ancient world, in works not only of history but of literature too. As it was only possible to send one prearranged message using this archaic system of fire-signalling, communicating parties needing to communicate on urgent matters faced significant limitations.
Hermeneus, 2022
How the Spartans used the scytale in warfare in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE (Dutch version of '... more How the Spartans used the scytale in warfare in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE (Dutch version of 'The Spartan scytale - Ancient Warfare Magazine)
The Spartan scytale , 2021
Ancient for Ancient Warfare Magazine on Spartan secret messaging
Study into the use of secret communication in Greco-Roman warfare, partly compared with secret co... more Study into the use of secret communication in Greco-Roman warfare, partly compared with secret communication during the American Civil War
Study on religious practices in different religions, focusing on the use of a medieval Vulgate Bi... more Study on religious practices in different religions, focusing on the use of a medieval Vulgate Bible and an African charm gown.
Kleos Issue 2, 2019
Very early-on in Greek history mountaintops were already used as watch-towers and signalling stat... more Very early-on in Greek history mountaintops were already used as watch-towers and signalling stations from which messages could be sent over long distances by fire signals. In these earliest examples it was only possible to send one prearranged message, something that was often not sufficient in case communicating
parties needed to communicate on urgent matters. The fourthcentury BC military author Aeneas Tacticus accordingly invented a method for fire signalling, whereby a series of messages could be sent related to events that often occur in warfare. The system might have been used as a cryptographic device. Due to errors in Aeneas’ system, Polybius improved another system based on the same principles, which in turn formed the basis for the modern ‘Polybius square’, used by the Germans for their ADFGX- and ADFGVX-ciphers: secret cipher systems used in the First World War. There is no clear evidence linking Aeneas’ fire signalling method directly to the German ciphers. However, it will be shown
that Polybius used Aeneas’ system in his own fire signalling method. Polybius’ method in turn impacted the development of the Polybius square and its use in the ADFGX and ADFGVX ciphers. By analysing the ancient history of Polybius’ method for fire signalling and the merits of applying this to the use of the
square in the German ciphers, it will be shown how an ancient fire signalling method inspired modern ciphers.
Research Proposal, 2022
We know signalling by fire was used in the Greek periods for normal and secure communication and ... more We know signalling by fire was used in the Greek periods for normal and secure communication and that there are hundreds of hill-top forts from the 4th-century BCE and later in Greece. In fact, there is a whole hidden world of secret communication in the ancient world, and we cannot fully understand ancient Greek warfare without it. The aim of the current project will be to transform the scholarly understanding of the importance of different forms of secrecy and hidden communication in Greek warfare and inter-state relations. This will be achieved by a reassessment of cryptographic and steganographic methods known from ancient Greece, and by placing this investigation into a landscape context, in order to analyse to what extent these methods were able to have an impact on the nature, and even the outcomes, of warfare.
AHBOnlineReviews2022.07.DiepenbroekOnDevillerBattistinSebastian, 2022
In 2018 Devillier and Battistin Sebastiani published Sources et modèles des historiens anciens. T... more In 2018 Devillier and Battistin Sebastiani published Sources et modèles des historiens anciens. The work was the result of a broad international collaboration which brought together 28 chapters by specialists in their field. Its chief aim was to provide a contribution to the studies on the writing of history in Greco-Roman antiquity from Herodotus to the Byzantine Empire. Through surveys devoted to the main historians
and historical texts of this period, these different texts give rise to re-readings that take into account the historiographical projects of each. Only three years later in 2021, a second volume (Sources et modèles des historiens anciens 2) followed, containing thirty five chapters, which continues where the first volume left off. Both volumes, which are multilingual (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish) are excellent additions to the field of writing history in antiquity, because of the great variety of subjects discussed (from Herodotus to the Byzantine empire and Greek as well as Roman topics).