Les quatre livres des stratagèmes

by Frontinus

Sextus Julius Frontin (40-103 ap. JC) fut un homme politique de talent. Deux fois Consul, il exercera ses fonctions comme religieux , militaire et ingénieur. Deux ouvrages de lui nous sont parvenus, un «Traité des Aqueducs» et les «Stratagèmes» que nous publions aujourd'hui. Cette compilation d'exemples militaires a souvent servi de référence, Machiavel reconnaîtra s'en être inspiré. C'est pourquoi nous avons voulu conserver les notes du traducteur (1848) qui se réfèrent à l'épopée napoléonienne. La leçon de ce livre est que la ruse et la tromperie sont les éléments essentiels de la victoire. À méditer?

Genres: History, Philosophy, Nonfiction, War, Military History, Roman, Military Fiction

142 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 90

Reviews

[Ron Sami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an instruction for generals, mainly taken from Roman and Greek history.

Plot. Rating 4
Due to the format, the plot is divided into many small plot situations that describe military operations. I liked the unexpected tricks and original solutions of the ancient generals. The book is a compilation, and many stories were known to me, but some of them are not found in other historical sources.

Characters. Rating 4
It is difficult to expect deep development from the characters in the book. However, by their actions, their personal traits come out well. For example, the cunning Sulla staged false negotiations several times in order to get his army out of a difficult situation. Spartacus placed the corpses at the posts and around the fires for the same. And the harsh and cruel temper of the Spartan general Clearchus can be understood from the fact that he ordered the captive to be killed and feignedly distribute pieces of his body for food to his own soldiers in order to convince enemy ambassadors of his perseverance and desire to continue the war.

Dialogues. Rating 5
Dialogue is more common in such historical chronicles than in modern non-fiction, because rhetoric was valued in antiquity. So I didn't have any trouble finding them. Many dialogues of historical figures have become catchphrases, but there are also interesting little-known sayings. For example, the Athenian commander Iphicrates killed a sleeping sentry while going around the posts. And when the companions began to reproach him for cruelty, he said that he had left him in the same state in which he had met.

Writing style. Rating 4
Due to the short form of the individual paragraphs and the accessible writing style, the book is very easy to read. A lot of interesting information is conveyed in a simple way.

Worldbuilding. Rating 5.
The book tells the modern reader about a huge number of tactics, tricks, ways to maintain military spirit, psychological victories over the enemy, methods of maintaining discipline and commanding troops in campaigns and battles. The details of various sieges, the use of animals for war, military operations at sea are interestingly conveyed. But Frontinus in his book conveyed only a small part of the military art of antiquity. It is described in more detail and fully in large historical chronicles.

Conclusion. Overall rating 4
I think the book will be of interest to all lovers of military affairs of antiquity, as well as the Middle Ages.

[Evan Leach · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Strategemata is a collection of military stratagems from Greek and Roman history, written down and organized by Sextus Julius Frontinus around the year 90. Frontinus was a bigwig during the Flavian Dynasty and under the reigns of Nerva and Trajan; he was elected consul three times, and served as provincial governor of Britain from about 74-78. He acquired firsthand military experience during his time in Britain, subduing the Silures tribe of Wales. Frontinus was also a notable engineer, serving as Water Commissioner at Rome (an important post) and writing a detailed report on the Roman aqueducts that still survives to this day.



So, Frontinus was a pretty interesting and accomplished guy. Unfortunately, readers looking for the Roman equivalent of The Art of War are likely going to be disappointed. The Strategemata is divided into four books, the fourth of which is probably spurious. The first deals with preparing for battle, the second with fighting a pitched battle, the third with sieges, and the fourth with general strategems. There are no deep discussions of tactics or military philosophy; instead, in each section Frontinus has simply set down a number of anecdotes describing how generals of old dealt with a certain situation. Most of the examples are from long before Frontinus’ own day and were simply pulled from other books. That said, there are plenty of interesting nuggets for the curious. Some of my favorites:

- Not So Divine Intervention: A Spartan general ordered horses to be led around the camp at night, then claimed the next day that Castor and Pollux (Roman gods) had been on the scene to encourage his troops. Book I.XI, section 9.

- Burning Your Bridges: Fabius Maximus, fearing that his troops would fight less resolutely with an escape route intact, ordered his army’s ships to be set on fire before the battle began. Book I.XI, section 21.

- The Oldest Trick in the Book: Faced with single combat, Melanthus complained that his opponent had come to fight him 2-on-1. Then, when his opponent turned around to see who the hell he was talking about, Melanthus ran him through! Book II.V, section 41.

- Capture the Flag: Apparently, it was very common for a Roman officer to seize a standard and hurl it into the enemy’s ranks, in order to motivate the troops to push forward and recover it. Book II.VIII, section 1 & more.

- Being a Badass: When Sulla’s legions were breaking against the hosts of Mithridates, Sulla advanced with drawn sword into the first line and, addressing his troops, told them in case anybody asked where they had left their general, to answer “fighting in Boeotia.” Shamed by this, the army rallied. Book II.VIII, section 12.

- Being a Jerk: After the Romans defeated Hannibal’s brother Hasdrubal, knowing that Hannibal was expecting his brother & his army, they surprised Hannibal by flinging Hasdrubal’s head into his camp. Book II.IX, section 2.

- Ancient Sieges Were Nasty: One ancient general cut the water pipes leading into a besieged city, waited until the populace was desperate, then turned the water back on (but now laced with hellebore). Book III.VII, section 6.

- Discipline, 143 BC Style : When five cohorts had given way to the enemy on one occasion, their commander ordered them to make their wills and sent them out to recover the ground they had lost, threatening that they should not be received in camp except victoriously. Book IV.I, section 23.

- Being a Badass, Part II: This book contains the famous quote from Leonidas at Thermopylae: if the Persians created clouds by the multitude of their arrows, the Spartans “shall fight all the better in the shade.” Book IV.V, section 13.*

There are a ton of these little mini-stories, which make up the entirety of the book. Overall I thought it was interesting, but a bit repetitious at times. I would have liked to hear more about Frontinus’ personal experiences, or about the operation of the legions during the Flavian era, but that’s barely covered at all. It’s pretty clear why this book is not widely read today, and it wasn’t quite strong enough for me to give it a three star rating, but it has its moments and it’s a quick read. I might recommend this to someone who has very little knowledge of Greco-Roman warfare and wants a crash course; otherwise, there are better classics out there. 2.5 stars.

*I’m too lazy to look this up, but I’m pretty sure this is not in Herodotus, meaning this is the first book I’ve come across to list this timeless quote.

[Andrew Reece · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sextus Julius Frontinus Demonstrates His Tactical Aptitude In His Military Treatise, The Strategemata.

Sextus Julius Frontinus lived from 40-103 AD & was a successful Roman politician & military leader who in his later years became a moderately successful writer as well as a municipal engineer specializing in aqueducts & water supply. He was a novus homo, or new man, & ultimately achieved the rare distinction of being a 3-time consul who began cultivating a reputation as a capable general during the Flavian dynasty serving under Domitianus, playing a key role in the suppression of the Rhineland revolt in 70 AD. He later became governor of Britain, preceding Gnaeus Julius Agricola, father-in-law of the Roman senator & historian Cornelius Tacitus, & during his term Frontinus subjugated the Silures, a tribe inhabiting South Wales during that period, & is believed to have campaigned against another British tribe, the Brigantes, as well.

The Strategemata Of Frontinus, or more simply The Strategemata, is Frontinus' signature & most famous written work. He also authored De Aquaeductu, a 2-book report to the emperor on the state of the Roman aqueduct system & water supply, but his treatise on military tactics is what he is most well known for. It is presented in 4 short books, & addresses a number of topics & concepts related to military strategy which are discussed using historical examples from the writings of such classical writers as Titus Livius' Ab Urbe Condita, Polybius' The Rise Of The Roman Empire, the Histories of Herodotus, & a handful of Plutarch's Lives. Frontinus' writing is very direct, almost mechanical, & does not contain hidden meanings or undertones of any kind. The The Strategemata is very comparable in style & structure to a similar work, the De Re Militari of Flavius Vegetius Renatus, & the 2 treatises together were utilized by the 15th-century Florentine diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli in his own 1521 disquisition on Renaissance warfare, Dell'Arte Della Guerra, which is presented as a Socratic Dialogue between participants engaged in an imaginary discussion on best military practices.

In Bk.I.1, On Concealing One's Plans, Frontinus discusses the classic & now iconic Roman historical example taken from the first book of Titus Livius' Ab Urbe Condita, where Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, Tarquin 'the Proud', receives a messenger sent from his son, Sextus, while taking his leisure in the poppy garden on his palace grounds. The younger Tarquin had been dispatched to the neighboring town of Gabii by his sire as part of an elaborate subterfuge intended to garner the trust of its leaders while the king decides what is to be done with them, & Tarquin the Proud has made up his mind. Ignoring the messenger's repeated entreaties, the king's only response comes from the sound of his staff, as it lops the heads of the poppy plants from their stalks, one by one. When Sextus Tarquinius hears word of his father's actions from the hapless herald, he understands completely, & it does not bode well for the leaders of Gabii.

The most cunning & resourceful battle commanders could use domesticated animals & beasts of burden as part of elaborate subterfuges to distract the opposing army, drawing their attention while they maneuvered their own forces into advantageous positions or made tactical retreats from the battlefield. Bk.I.5, On Escaping From Difficult Situations, describes several such historical incidents. Darius the Great, on one occasion, tricked the Scythians by leaving his dogs & asses at his camp before his timely departure, & it was their barking & braying that led his foes to believe that he was still there, & the Ligurian Gauls would commonly fool Roman soldiers by employing the same strategy using bullocks with their halters tied to trees. And during the Second Punic War Hannibal Barca conceived of an ingenious & elaborate ruse which he used to deceive Fabius Maximus by waiting until nightfall & then tying bundles of lighted torches to the horns of his oxen, & then turning the beasts loose. As the fires quickly spread, increasing in intensity, the oxen soon grew wild & began stampeding back & forth across the mountain ridge, & according to Frontinus' description, "The Romans, who had gathered to witness the sight, at first thought a prodigy had occurred. Then, when scouts reported the facts, Fabius, fearing an ambush, kept his men in camp. Meanwhile the barbarians marched away, as no one prevented them."

In Bk.II.7, On Concealing Reverses, Lucius Lucullus shrewdly directs his main force to pursue the auxiliary Macedonian cavalry who desert him for the enemy, & when his foes see the massive army bearing down on them, they believe it to be a Roman assault & answer the Macedonians not with open arms but with thrown javelins, forcing the traitorous Greeks to fight against the very side to which they had planned to defect.

In Bk.III.4, By What Means The Enemy May Be Reduced To Want, Frontinus studies the example of Pyrrhus' son Alexander II, who, desiring to conquer Leucadia, a fortified, well-provisioned town, first subdued all the fortresses & settlements in the surrounding area, making sure to allow the citizens an opportunity to flee to their larger, amply-stocked neighbor, & soon the extra mouths to feed had exhausted Leucadia's food supplies & Alexander successfully takes possession of the town.

Later, in Bk.III.10, On Setting Traps To Draw Out The Besieged, Frontinus discusses an example from the Roman naval blockade on the Sicilian port of Lilybaeum during the First Punic War when Hannibal Barca, then a Carthaginian trierarch, stages a daring operation to relieve the city of her oppressors by first anchoring his sizeable fleet with 10,000 troops on board off of the nearby Aegates Islands while he awaits favorable weather, then, once he gets a good strong breeze astern, Hannibal quickly directs his ships to dart into the harbor & the Romans, fearing getting caught by the crosswind & blown into a hostile port, can do nothing but watch as their blockade is utterly neutralized before their very eyes.

Overall, the Strategemata of Sextus Julius Frontinus is an exceptional period piece which provides a unique window into the political & military world of the 1st-century Roman Empire, & the author was an experienced & respected general in the field who possessed the prestige of having received the surrender of 70,000 Lingones while serving under Domitian in the Rhineland. Any reader wishing to experience one of the classical writings that influenced later writers such as Machiavelli would be well served to add this title to their library. The unique writing style renders it a challenging but ultimately rewarding read that can function as a gateway to other excellent ancient historians such as Titus Livius, Plutarch, & even Flavius Josephus.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitap, klasik savaş anlatılarından farklı olarak olayları birer stratejik hamle gibi sunuyor — sen de bu yönüyle içindeki analiz etme isteğini doyurdun.
Roma'nın başarısı bir rastlantı değil; soğukkanlılıkla örülmüş bir akıl yürütme süreci. Ve bu kitap, o sürecin izlerini çok katmanlı ama net biçimde veriyor.
Özellikle hayatta “ne zaman adım atmalı, ne zaman beklemeli?” gibi soruların varsa, Roma'nın stratejik sabrı seni etkiler.

Bazı savaşlar, düşmanı değil, kendini ikna ederek kazanılır.
Bu kitap sayesinde büyük planların bile küçük, ama doğru hamlelerle kurulduğunu gördüm.

[Antonino Coppola · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good translation

For those that cannot translate latin, this is a good translation of Strategemata. Also the intro makes very good comments on book four.c
Fully recommended.

[Adverse Effect · Rating 5 out of 5]

war strategies the Romans used. Fascinating.

[Andrez]

This was a very interesting read. Rather than a guide book on warfare per se, or a "roman version of The Art of War", as I thought it would be, The Stratagemata is made of examples. The reader is encouraged to use his own sense and imagination to create his stratagems, but it is good to know the ones in the book have worked once and will probably work again, so they can be used as a base for learning.
Strategy and war aside, the episodes mentioned in the book are interesting on their own, and some are anecdotal in nature. I was particularly fond of the chapter "On how to drive away the soldiers' fear caused by bad omens".