Agentes in rebus

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The agentes in rebus were the Roman imperial courier service and secret service that replaced the unpopular frumentarii, sometime during the late 3rd century under Emperor Diocletian, or perhaps around the year 319. The overall organizational commander was called the Magister officiorum (Master of the Offices), whose deputy was titled comes dispositionum.


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[edit] History

As a result of the reforms of Diocletian, the frumentarii were disbanded; their sinister reputation had ended their usefulness. But the central imperial administration still needed couriers, and agentes in rebus filled this task perfectly. Originally they acted as the dispatch carriers for the Roman Empire, but eventually assumed a variety of duties.

[edit] Function

During the reign of Constantius II (337-361), the agentes were sent out to the provinces and were expected to monitor the mail and communications and to send back reports on the events within their provincial jurisdictions. Their routine assignments brought them into contact with vast amounts of intelligence, and with the full approval of Constantius they ferreted out all possibly treasonous activities. Two were appointed to each province in 357, one in 395 and more again after 412. Each member of the agentes in rebus was normally promoted into other branches of the government.

The corps, with its known activity of gathering secrets as the frumentarii had done, acquired a name for terror. There has been debate as to the extent of their secret police work, for actual arrests and torture probably did not fall under their authority. However, in the hands of a ruthless emperor like Constantius II, they could be given considerable freedom in hunting down information or evidence of a crime. This facet of their activities overshadowed other, more mundane aspects, such as carrying letters or verifying that a traveler was carrying the right diplomata while using the cursus publicus (postal system). Other tasks included supervising the roads and delivering Imperial commands, often staying in the area to ensure their implementation. They also reported back to the court on everything they saw.

[edit] Modus operandi

The agentes usually operated alone or later on, in pairs, and were almost always mounted on horses, which was necessary for effective message delivery. They had a loose organization modeled after the military but were far more decentralized. While the frumentarii existed and were effective for a shorter period of time, the longevity of the agentes speaks to their increased effectiveness, and somewhat decreased hatred among the population. The agentes original role as a postal delivery organization was also less invasive to a local population than the frumentarii's corn gathering. This provided a more effective means of operating covertly while gathering intelligence.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • N. J. E. Austin and N. B. Rankov, Exploratio; Military and Political Intelligence in the Roman World from the Second Punic War to the Battle of Adrianople
  • Glen Warren Bowersock, Peter Brown, Oleg Grabar, Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World sv "Agens in rebus"