A Brief History of Close Protection Agencies: Background information when reading We Solve Murders

In Richard Osman's thriller We Solve Murders, a series of murders surrounds Maximum Impact Security, a close-protection agency, or a company that provides bodyguards to paying clients. The concept of employing a select group of individuals to guard an important person isn't a new one by any means. Many believe that this sort of quid pro quo — you protect me, I'll give you [food, tools, money] — has existed as long as there have been humans on the planet.

One early recorded security force is ancient Egypt's Medjai or Medjay. Mentioned in texts from the Old Kingdom (2649-2130 BCE), these were men from Nubia (modern-day Sudan) who were expert archers and horsemen. They developed a reputation for being intensely loyal and trustworthy, and ultimately became the pharoah's bodyguard, also watching over religious sites and accompanying the royal family when they went abroad.

The ancient Macedonians employed a group of bodyguards, too. A corps of elite horsemen ...