193:
These pieces of wood they call scytalae. Whenever, then, they wish to send some secret and important message, they make a scroll of parchment long and narrow, like a leathern strap, and wind it round their scytale, leaving no vacant space thereon, but covering its surface all round with the parchment. After doing this, they write what they wish on the parchment, just as it lies wrapped about the scytale; and when they have written their message, they take the parchment off and send it, without the piece of wood, to the commander. He, when he has received it, cannot otherwise get any meaning out of it,--since the letters have no connection, but are disarranged,--unless he takes his own scytale and winds the strip of parchment about it, so that, when its spiral course is restored perfectly, and that which follows is joined to that which precedes, he reads around the staff, and so discovers the continuity of the message. And the parchment, like the staff, is called scytale, as the thing measured bears the name of the measure.
1572:
27:
192:
The dispatch-scroll is of the following character. When the ephors send out an admiral or a general, they make two round pieces of wood exactly alike in length and thickness, so that each corresponds to the other in its dimensions, and keep one themselves, while they give the other to their envoy.
220:
An alternative hypothesis is that the scytale was used for message authentication rather than encryption. Only if the sender wrote the message around a scytale of the same diameter as the receiver's would the receiver be able to read it. It would therefore be difficult for enemy spies to inject
167:
To decrypt, all one must do is wrap the leather strip around the rod and read across. The ciphertext is: "Iryyatbhmvaehedlurlp" Every fourth letter will appear on the same line, so the plaintext (after re-insertion of spaces) becomes: "I am hurt very badly help".
207:
Due to difficulties in reconciling the description of
Plutarch with the earlier accounts, and circumstantial evidence such as the cryptographic weakness of the device, several authors have suggested that the scytale was used for conveying messages in
151:
_____________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | I | a | m | h | u | | __| r | t | v | e | r |__| | | y | b | a | d | l | | | y | h | e | l | p | | | | | | | |
1552:
1382:
809:
655:
372:
1235:
224:
Nonetheless, any person intercepting a scytale message, and having heard about the method, could with little difficulty find out the rod size needed (a kind of
184:(middle of the 3rd century BC) that a clear indication of its use as a cryptographic device appeared. A description of how it operated is not known from before
802:
1610:
365:
180:, who lived in the 7th century BC. Other Greek and Roman writers during the following centuries also mentioned it, but it was not until
1228:
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358:
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20:
660:
141:
Suppose the rod allows one to write four letters around in a circle and five letters down the side of it. The
84:
1527:
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114:, consisting of a cylinder with a strip of parchment wound around it on which is written a message. The
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228:); once knowing that, it would be easy to supplant the sender and forge new messages.
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329:
35:
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1167:
972:
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625:
312:
156:
320:
1436:
1123:
209:
142:
176:
From indirect evidence, the scytale was first mentioned by the Greek poet
1481:
1441:
893:
774:
769:
185:
130:
123:
92:
680:
665:
620:
572:
122:
in particular, are said to have used this cipher to communicate during
1362:
1086:
952:
826:
741:
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602:
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405:
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26:
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541:
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511:
480:
430:
415:
25:
630:
536:
521:
420:
107:
1217:
791:
354:
221:
false messages into the communication between two commanders.
152:
_____________________________________________________________
66:
63:
96:
57:
133:
on which the parchment is wrapped to read the message.
1383:
Cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generator
299:
Kelly, Thomas (July 1998). "The Myth of the
Skytale".
16:
Encryption tool used to perform a transposition cipher
330:"Les Langages Secrets Dans l'Antiquité Gréco-Romaine"
54:
51:
342:
60:
1495:
1251:
1160:
1132:
1104:
1044:
1006:
938:
912:
869:
836:
825:
750:
694:
611:
560:
489:
386:
48:
148:To encrypt, one simply writes across the leather:
212:and that Plutarch's description is mythological.
159:becomes, "Iryyatbhmvaehedlurlp" after unwinding.
190:
332:(in French). Universite Catholique de Louvain.
1229:
803:
366:
8:
1236:
1222:
1214:
833:
810:
796:
788:
373:
359:
351:
347:
343:
336:Secret Languages in Graeco-Roman Antiquity
271:Information Gathering in Classical Greece
249:
145:could be: "I am hurt very badly help".
256:
202:(Lysander 19), ed. Bernadotte Perrin.
129:The recipient uses a rod of the same
7:
307:(3). Taylor & Francis: 244–260.
273:. U. Michigan Press. p. 117.
14:
216:Message authentication hypothesis
1571:
1570:
44:
1432:Information-theoretic security
1:
1548:Message authentication code
1503:Cryptographic hash function
1316:Cryptographic hash function
1627:
1611:Military history of Sparta
1427:Harvest now, decrypt later
328:Collard, Brigitte (2004).
97:
83:
18:
1566:
1543:Post-quantum cryptography
1213:
787:
350:
346:
335:
313:10.1080/0161-119891886902
1533:Quantum key distribution
1523:Authenticated encryption
1378:Random number generation
21:Scytale (disambiguation)
1528:Public-key cryptography
1518:Symmetric-key algorithm
1321:Key derivation function
1281:Cryptographic primitive
1274:Authentication protocol
1264:Outline of cryptography
1259:History of cryptography
1269:Cryptographic protocol
819:Classical cryptography
598:Siemens and Halske T52
269:Russel, Frank (1999).
205:
74:; also transliterated
31:
1422:End-to-end encryption
1368:Cryptojacking malware
661:Sectéra Secure Module
29:
1538:Quantum cryptography
1462:Trusted timestamping
1178:Index of coincidence
1082:Reservehandverfahren
765:Intel SHA extensions
182:Apollonius of Rhodes
112:transposition cipher
19:For other uses, see
1301:Cryptographic nonce
1197:Kasiski examination
1192:Information leakage
760:AES instruction set
1606:Encryption devices
1407:Subliminal channel
1391:Pseudorandom noise
1338:Key (cryptography)
1173:Frequency analysis
1072:Rasterschlüssel 44
259:, pp. 244–260
226:brute-force attack
188:(50–120 AD):
110:used to perform a
32:
1601:Classical ciphers
1588:
1587:
1584:
1583:
1467:Key-based routing
1457:Trapdoor function
1328:Digital signature
1209:
1208:
1205:
1204:
1100:
1099:
783:
782:
752:Computer hardware
497:Bazeries cylinder
1618:
1574:
1573:
1402:Insecure channel
1238:
1231:
1224:
1215:
834:
812:
805:
798:
789:
375:
368:
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1626:
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1562:
1491:
1247:
1242:
1201:
1156:
1128:
1096:
1040:
1002:
934:
908:
871:Polybius square
865:
829:
821:
816:
779:
746:
690:
607:
593:Lorenz SZ 40/42
556:
485:
382:
381:Cipher machines
379:
341:
327:
298:
294:
292:Further reading
289:
288:
281:
268:
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263:
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24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1624:
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1614:
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1608:
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1593:
1592:
1586:
1585:
1582:
1581:
1579:
1578:
1567:
1564:
1563:
1561:
1560:
1555:
1553:Random numbers
1550:
1545:
1540:
1535:
1530:
1525:
1520:
1515:
1510:
1505:
1499:
1497:
1493:
1492:
1490:
1489:
1484:
1479:
1477:Garlic routing
1474:
1469:
1464:
1459:
1454:
1449:
1444:
1439:
1434:
1429:
1424:
1419:
1414:
1409:
1404:
1399:
1397:Secure channel
1394:
1388:
1387:
1386:
1375:
1370:
1365:
1360:
1358:Key stretching
1355:
1350:
1345:
1340:
1335:
1330:
1325:
1324:
1323:
1318:
1308:
1306:Cryptovirology
1303:
1298:
1293:
1291:Cryptocurrency
1288:
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1278:
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1276:
1266:
1261:
1255:
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1079:
1077:Reihenschieber
1074:
1069:
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1054:
1048:
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1042:
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1039:
1038:
1033:
1028:
1023:
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950:
944:
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936:
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891:
886:
881:
875:
873:
867:
866:
864:
863:
858:
853:
848:
842:
840:
838:Polyalphabetic
831:
823:
822:
817:
815:
814:
807:
800:
792:
785:
784:
781:
780:
778:
777:
772:
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739:
734:
729:
724:
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628:
623:
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600:
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575:
570:
564:
562:
558:
557:
555:
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549:
547:Reihenschieber
544:
539:
534:
532:Jefferson disk
529:
524:
519:
514:
509:
504:
499:
493:
491:
487:
486:
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483:
478:
473:
468:
463:
458:
453:
448:
443:
438:
433:
428:
423:
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403:
398:
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388:Rotor machines
384:
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363:
355:
340:
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295:
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279:
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248:
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195:
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138:
135:
116:ancient Greeks
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1623:
1612:
1609:
1607:
1604:
1602:
1599:
1598:
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1577:
1569:
1568:
1565:
1559:
1558:Steganography
1556:
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1539:
1536:
1534:
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1526:
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1514:
1513:Stream cipher
1511:
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1501:
1500:
1498:
1494:
1488:
1485:
1483:
1480:
1478:
1475:
1473:
1472:Onion routing
1470:
1468:
1465:
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1460:
1458:
1455:
1453:
1452:Shared secret
1450:
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1348:Key generator
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1336:
1334:
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1329:
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1322:
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1311:Hash function
1309:
1307:
1304:
1302:
1299:
1297:
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1292:
1289:
1287:
1286:Cryptanalysis
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1234:
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1190:
1187:
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1169:
1166:
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1163:
1161:Cryptanalysis
1159:
1153:
1150:
1148:
1145:
1143:
1140:
1139:
1137:
1135:
1134:Steganography
1131:
1125:
1122:
1120:
1117:
1115:
1112:
1111:
1109:
1107:
1103:
1093:
1090:
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1080:
1078:
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1034:
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1029:
1027:
1024:
1022:
1019:
1017:
1014:
1013:
1011:
1009:
1008:Transposition
1005:
999:
996:
994:
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989:
986:
984:
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969:
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868:
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844:
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839:
835:
832:
828:
824:
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813:
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790:
786:
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766:
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749:
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723:
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291:
282:
280:0-472-11064-0
276:
272:
265:
262:
258:
253:
250:
243:
239:
238:Caesar cipher
236:
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215:
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109:
105:
100:
94:
90:
86:
81:
80:Ancient Greek
77:
71:
41:
37:
28:
22:
1508:Block cipher
1353:Key schedule
1343:Key exchange
1333:Kleptography
1296:Cryptosystem
1245:Cryptography
1067:One-time pad
940:Substitution
613:Secure voice
551:
406:M-125 Fialka
304:
300:
270:
264:
252:
223:
219:
206:
199:
191:
175:
166:
154:
147:
140:
128:
103:
88:
75:
39:
36:cryptography
33:
1496:Mathematics
1487:Mix network
1119:Code talker
998:Running key
930:Four-square
561:Teleprinter
517:Cipher disk
301:Cryptologia
178:Archilochus
126:campaigns.
1595:Categories
1447:Ciphertext
1417:Decryption
1412:Encryption
1373:Ransomware
1168:Cryptogram
1062:Kama Sutra
1031:Rail fence
1026:Myszkowski
973:Chaocipher
925:Two-square
904:VIC cipher
856:Trithemius
626:FASCINATOR
490:Mechanical
334:(English:
257:Kelly 1998
244:References
198:Plutarch,
163:Decrypting
157:ciphertext
137:Encrypting
118:, and the
1437:Plaintext
1092:Solitaire
830:by family
321:1558-1586
210:plaintext
143:plaintext
30:A scytale
1576:Category
1482:Kademlia
1442:Codetext
1385:(CSPRNG)
1180:(Units:
1016:Columnar
963:Beaufort
920:Playfair
894:Tap code
889:Nihilist
861:Vigenère
775:IBM 4764
770:IBM 4758
737:Pinwheel
232:See also
196:—
186:Plutarch
131:diameter
124:military
120:Spartans
104:skútalon
99:σκύταλον
95:", also
93:cylinder
91:"baton,
1252:General
958:Autokey
846:Alberti
827:Ciphers
681:STU-III
666:SIGSALY
621:BID 150
573:BID 770
552:Scytale
476:Singlet
436:Mercury
172:History
155:so the
106:) is a
89:skutálē
85:σκυτάλη
76:skytale
40:scytale
1363:Keygen
1147:Grille
1087:Slidex
1021:Double
988:Pigpen
968:Caesar
953:Atbash
948:Affine
913:Square
899:Trifid
879:ADFGVX
851:Enigma
742:Rockex
732:Purple
722:Noreen
686:VINSON
676:STU-II
646:NESTOR
603:SIGTOT
471:SIGCUM
466:SIGABA
426:Lacida
411:Hebern
401:Enigma
319:
277:
1393:(PRN)
1142:Bacon
1106:Codes
1057:DRYAD
1052:BATCO
1045:Other
1036:Route
993:ROT13
978:Great
884:Bifid
717:KL-51
712:KL-43
707:KG-84
695:Other
641:KY-68
636:KY-58
588:KW-37
583:KW-26
578:DUDEK
568:5-UCO
542:M-209
527:Kryha
512:CD-57
481:Typex
461:SG-41
456:SG-39
431:M-325
416:HX-63
200:Lives
1184:and
1152:Null
1124:Poem
1114:Book
983:Hill
702:JADE
656:SCIP
651:OMNI
631:KY-3
537:M-94
522:HC-9
507:C-52
502:C-36
441:NEMA
421:KL-7
317:ISSN
275:ISBN
108:tool
38:, a
1186:Nat
1182:Ban
727:Red
671:STE
451:RED
446:OMI
396:CCM
309:doi
34:In
1597::
315:.
305:22
303:.
82::
78:,
67:iː
64:əl
1237:e
1230:t
1223:v
1188:)
811:e
804:t
797:v
374:e
367:t
360:v
338:)
323:.
311::
283:.
70:/
61:t
58:ɪ
55:k
52:s
49:ˈ
46:/
42:(
23:.
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