The life of a courier involves a lot of driving, delivering large shipments and smaller packages and letters across the country. Modern technology, such as state-of-the-art vans and high-quality roads, allow this process to be completed at high speed; It is possible to cross the UK from south to north in less than 24 hours, although this would require a couple of couriers. taking turns. Today’s messengers might be surprised to learn that several thousand years ago, the ancient Persians had similar ideas about efficient deliveries.
Old communications
The Persian Empire (c. 550-330 BC) was vast by ancient standards, stretching from Aegean Turkey in the west to early India in the east, at its peak. The King ruled over everything; Although he entrusted the local government to his satraps, he still wanted to know all the important news in a timely manner, especially when it came to invasions, plagues, famines, etc. Ancient messengers needed to cross the empire as quickly as possible with this news.
But the journey across the empire, from Sardis to Susa and beyond, took up to 90 days on foot. A traveling messenger was too slow for vital communications. Mounted messengers were faster, but still faced restrictions such as the need for their horse to rest and dangerous terrain that forced the horse to walk almost as slow as a human for fear of suffering a crippling injury.
The real way
King Darius I’s solution was to build a 1,500-mile-long road, the Camino Real, that ran through the empire and establish 111 publishing stations along it. Each station had fresh horses for the messengers to change, making sure they could travel as quickly as possible. The journey through the empire now took only 7 days.
The scope of this achievement was recognized by contemporary writers. The famous ancient Greek writer Herodotus wrote that “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor darkness of night prevent these messengers from completing their designated stages as quickly as possible” in his Histories. The Romans who invaded parts of Persia in later centuries continued its use
Your route
Herodotus’s writings, along with archaeological research and other historical records, have also provided us with the route of the Royal Road, so that we can now follow those ancient couriers through the ancient empire. The Royal Road began in Sardis, more than 60 miles east of present-day Azmir in Aegean Turkey. From there it headed east through the north-central section of Turkey and passed through the gates of Cilicia to Nineveh (present-day Mosul in Iraq), the former capital of Assyria. It then turned south to Babylon (near present-day Baghdad, Iraq), where it split. The first route went northeast and then east through Ecbatana and along what would later become known as the Silk Road. The second went east to Susa (in present-day Iran), the future Persian capital, and then southeast to one of the most famous cities in Persia, Persepolis.
An assyrian road
While King Darius I of Persia ordered the development of the Royal Road to its full extent, it seems likely that he was not the first ancient ruler to consider a quality road connecting important parts of his empire. The Old Assyrian Empire, which existed in many phases from the 20th century BC. Until about a hundred years before Cyrus the Great forged Persia, he probably participated in the construction of a part of the Royal Road. Its route through Nineveh and Babylon, ancient major centers of that empire and not the most direct route through Darius’s empire, is strong evidence that the Assyrians designed the infrastructure for ancient couriers even earlier in history, and the Persians simply expanded from it.
