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Here is an interesting article about the Banu Sasan, a group of Islamic thieves that essentially had a guild for about 600 years. One of the most interesting things is the revelation that apparently an Islamic thief used a turtle with a candle stuck on its back to survey the interior of a room much like we do today with fiber optic cameras. I find the visual image of a turtle with a candle to be extremely hilarious. Apparently possession of a turtle in a dark alley in the medieval Caliphate constituted probable cause for the city watch.
Pretty neat, but what happens if the thieves, after peering through a keyhole, don't see anything worth taking? The property owner arrives to find a turtle wandering around encased in melted wax?
I guess so. Maybe turtles were more readily available in the medieval world than they are today. Perhaps there was even a black market in burglary capable turtles?
