Since the middle of the century, when the term “psychological war” first appeared, scholars have sought its origin in the most remote periods of time. “Psychological action” in general is expressed in many forms such as those of treason, discouragement, intimidation, “intoxication”. Psychological war is unbreakably connected with the deception of the opponent. Homer and the Bible precede von Canaris, Ewen Montagu and his group. Metis was Zeus’ first wife, Athena his first child and Kairos his second one. If Sun-Tzu is the oldest known theoretician of the art of war, and in particular of a war based on the deception of the enemy, Aeneias Tacticus can be considered as one of the first ancient Greek theoreticians on the subject, who also believed in the effectiveness of indirect strategy. The aim of this article is, through three episodes given as examples, not only to prove that a wide use of “intoxication” was made in ancient Greece, but also to establish the transition from action to theory, since Aeneias consciously believes in war being mainly a confrontation that uses fraud as its main weapon. The term “intoxication” denotes a series of actions aiming at the creation of false impressions and distortion of objective reality; this procedure causes disorientation and illusion, so that a political or military goal is achieved.
A form of deception in war in Aeneias Tacticus
21 Aug 2012
by Archaeology Newsroom
- A
- A
- A