0577120 - OÚ 2024 RIV BE eng J - Journal Article
Alivernini, Sergio
On spies and informers in the Old Babylonian period. Considerations on Zimri-Lim’s intelligence services.
Ancient Near Eastern Studies. Roč. 60, summer (2023), s. 357-373. ISSN 1378-4641. E-ISSN 1783-1326
Institutional support: RVO:68378009
Keywords : intelligence services * Old Babylonian period * Mari * Zimri-Lim
OECD category: History (history of science and technology to be 6.3, history of specific sciences to be under the respective headings)
Impact factor: 0.1, year: 2023
Method of publishing: Limited access
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2143/ANES.60.0.3292578

The historical origin of the intelligence services is undoubtedly to be found in the area of the ancient Near East, where the use of spies is already attested in the third millennium BC. However, in the Old Babylonian period the documentation on espionage activities becomes richer and provides a broader and more detailed picture. The purpose of this article is to describe the organisation of intelligence services in the kingdom of Mari under Zimri-Lim. The abundant epistolary documentation of this period sheds light on the terminology used to define spies/informers, the organisation of intelligence activities, and the management of the flow of information that Zimri-Lim received from intelligence activities.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0352198