Myths and histories of the Spartan scytale : a comprehensive review and reassessment of the extant sources describing the cryptographic Spartan device known as the scytale to challenge the view promoted by modern historians of cryptography that denies the scytale its deserved status as a vehicle for secret communication in the ancient world

The current study is a comprehensive review and reassessment of the extant sources describing the cryptographic Spartan device known as the scytale, to challenge the view promoted by modern historians of cryptography that denies the scytale its deserved status as a vehicle for secret communication in the ancient world. Modern historians of cryptography see the scytale essentially as a simple 'stick' that would have served little practical use as a vehicle for secret communication. Yet, this study seeks to demonstrate that the cryptographic principles employed in the Spartan scytale show an encryption and coding system that is no less complex than some 20th century transposition ciphers. It will be shown that, contrary to the accepted point of view, scytale encryption is as complex and secure as other known ancient ciphers. The study will draw salient comparisons with a selection of modern transposition ciphers (and their historical predecessors), and offer a detailed review and comprehensive new analysis of the surviving classical sources that similarly reveal the potential of the scytale as an actual cryptographic tool in ancient Sparta in order to illustrate the relative sophistication of the Spartan scytale as a practical device for secret communication. This helps to establish the conceptual basis that the scytale would, in theory, have offered its ancient users a potentially secure method for secret communication - particularly over long distances. The study will be complemented by two appendices to the work in which an overview is given of all surviving ancient literary sources on cryptography and steganography as well as an overview of all extant medieval, Renaissance, and modern sources referring back to these classical sources, making this study the most comprehensive collection of Greek and Roman cryptographic and steganographic sources created so far - and thereby making an original and significant contribution to the current scholarship on the ancient history of cryptography.