DID ANCIENT ROME FIELD 'SPECIAL FORCES'?

While the organisation, training and equipment of Rome's legions were Key to their dominance, there were also specialists at work in the shadows who were offen critical to victory. Were they the ancient equivalent of today’s elite military?

- SIMON ELLIOTT

The legions of Rome were preeminent in a world where, more often than not, they won on campaign and in battle. This is the Roman military most recognisable to the general public, its legionaries resplendent in their fine armour and brightcrested helmets. And yet, behind the scenes, clandestine activities were always underway, often deep behind enemy lines. Today, some would be called special operations, performed by elite troops; their aim was to provide vital intelligence through stealthy reconnaissance, disrupt chains of command and lines of supply, and assassinate opposing decision-takers.

In the modern world such troops are called special forces, with students of Roman military history familiar with a whole raft of enigmatic names used to describe these elite warriors. Think of the frumentarii, speculatores, exploratores, protectores domesticii and areani. But were they really, as we now define them, special forces? In my recently published Roman Special Forces & Special Ops I tested whether any of the above, together with other specialist units, were actually special forces. This is a task more difficult than it sounds. For example, while the name is one of the most widely known military terms today, it is also one of the least understood. Names like the Special Air Service immediately spark attention and interest. Yet there is often a huge misunderstanding about the role special forces fulfil, especially by politicians keen for 'free lunch' solutions to complex foreign policy issues.

To determine whether these elite Roman units really were akin to modern special forces, I applied four key criteria:

■ Elite volunteers, chosen through a demanding selection process.

■ Uniquely trained for non-regular warfare, with special skill sets, a bespoke esprit de corps and access to specialist equipment.