8.1 Spies in the Pre-Modern World

Espionage has been called the world's second oldest profession, and women were in the thick of it from the very beginning. Unfortunately, a spy's default mode is to hide her tracks, which means that in the ancient and medieval world I found hint after tantalizing hint, but very few fully-fleshed histories of female spies. So today's episode is a round up of those hints, along with a brief history of the profession itself. See a transcript and pictures and sources at the website (herhalfofhistory.com). Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction. Join Into History for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Follow me on Twitter as @her_half. Or on Facebook or Instagram as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices