Rose Mary Sheldon

Tradecraft in ancient Greece

(1988). Tradecraft in ancient Greece. International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 189-202.

THE SATOR REBUS: AN UNSOLVED CRYPTOGRAM?

The sator square is one of the oldest, unsolved word puzzles in the world. Examples of the square and numerous variations on it, have been found in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. Examples date from first-century Rome to the nineteenth century. Many questions have plagued scholars: Who composed it? What do the words mean? How has it been used in magic, religion, medicine and superstition ever since? Does the solution lie with mathematicians, philologists or theologians? All these questions remain unsolved, but the number of attempts by scholars to answer them grows yearly.The sator square is one of the oldest, unsolved word puzzles in the world. Examples of the square and numerous variations on it, have been found in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. Examples date from first-century Rome to the nineteenth century. Many questions have plagued scholars: Who composed it? What do the words mean? How has it been used in magic, religion, medicine and superstition ever since? Does the solution lie with mathematicians, philologists or theologians? All these questions remain unsolved, but the number of attempts by scholars to answer them grows yearly.

The Yom Kippur War, Dr. Kissinger, and the Smoking Gun

Numerous books have been written on the 1973 Yom Kippur war and the failure of both Israeli and U.S. intelligence to anticipate that conflict. Their titles hint at their content: Dado—48 Years and ...

Swords, sandals, and insurgencies: Ancient history goes to the movies

This article explores the question of why so few insurgencies from the ancient world have ever made it onto the big screen. Many of these stories have been made into documentaries, but have been ignored by Hollywood. Even those events that have been made into Hollywood films, like the uprising of Spartacus, do not show any of the successful uprisings, only the defeats. Among the possible reasons may be Hollywoods fascination with big wars and big battles rather than small wars because they are more cinematic. Another reason is that American movies are reluctant to show successful slave uprisings or insurgencies against great powers. In the end, all movies are about the present, not the past, and thus Western bias will side with the imperial power, not the terrorist.

Caesar, Intelligence, and Ancient Britain

(2002). Caesar, Intelligence, and Ancient Britain. International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 77-100.

Jesus, as security risk: Insurgency in first century Palestine?

No trial and execution have generated more literature or speculation than those of Jesus of Nazareth. Yet, they have never been examined as an intelligence problem for the Roman governor of Jerusalem. Who was Jesus and the men who surrounded him? Were they involved in an attempted insurrection to overthrow Roman rule? It was the job of Pontius Pilate and his security staff to answer these questions. He had no way of knowing the political, social and religious repercussions his actions would cause, but his decision to execute Jesus was a rational one based on the intelligence he had at hand.