The map of Achaemenid Empire and the Royal Road.

The Persian Royal Road was an ancient highway built by the Persian king Darius I of Achaemenid Empire in the 5th Century BC. Darius built the road to facilitate rapid communication throughout his very large empire from Susa to Sardis. These couriers could travel 1,677 miles (2,699 km) in seven days. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote, "There is nothing in the world that travels faster than these Persian couriers." Herodotus' praise for these messengers — "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness of night prevents them from accomplishing the task proposed to them with the very utmost speed" — is the inspiration for the unofficial motto of postal carriers. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1676x869, 503 KB) Note : Inspired by Historical Atlas of Georges Duby (p. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1676x869, 503 KB) Note : Inspired by Historical Atlas of Georges Duby (p. ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ... Seal of Darius I, showing the king hunting on his chariot, and the symbol of Ahuramazda Darius the Great (Pers. ... Founder of empires: Cyrus, The Great is still revered in modern Iran as he was in all the successor Persian Empires. ... The 5th century BC started the first day of 500 BC and ended the last day of 401 BC. // The Parthenon of Athens seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west. ... Winged sphinx from the palace of Darius the Great at Susa. ... A recent view of the ceremonial court of the thermae–gymnasium complex in Sardis, dated to 211—212 AD Sardis, also Sardes (Lydian: Sfard, Greek: Σάρδεις, Persian: Sparda), modern Sart in the Manisa province of Turkey, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, the seat of a proconsul under... Herodotus of Halicarnassus (Greek: HÄ“rodotos Halikarnāsseus) was a Greek historian from Ionia who lived in the 5th century BC (ca. ...

Course of the Royal Road

The course of the road has been reconstructed from the writings of Herodotus, archeological research, and other historical records. It began in the west in Sardis (about 60 miles east of İzmir in present-day Turkey), traveled east through what is now the middle northern section of Turkey to the old Assyrian capital Nineveh (present-day Mosul, Iraq), then traveled south to Babylon (present-day Baghdad, Iraq). From near Babylon, it is believed to have split into two routes, one traveling northwest then west through Ecbatana and on along the Silk Road, the other continuing east through the future Persian capital Susa (in present-day Iran) and then southeast to Persepolis. A trade route is a commonly used path of travel for those (e. ... The Amber Road (in Lithuanian: Gintaro kelias; Polish: Szlak Bursztynowy, Jantarowy Szlak; in German: Bernsteinstraße; in Hungarian: Borostyán út, in Russian: Янтарный путь) was an ancient trade route for the transfer of amber. ... Hærvejen is the name given to an ancient track way in Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein mainly between the modern cities of Flensburg and Viborg. ... The Incense Road or Incense Route connected Egypt with Arabia and the Indies. ... Kamboja-Dvaravati Route was the name of an ancient high road running from the port of Dwarka in Anarta (Gujarat) in western India to Kamboja Mahajanapada located in parts of north-east Afghanistan and southern Tajikstan. ... The King’s Highway was a trade route of vital importance to the ancient Middle East. ... Roman trade with India according to the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, 1st century CE. A Greco-Roman gladiator on a glass vessel, Begram, 2nd century AD Roman trade with India started around the beginning of the Common Era (CE) following the reign of Augustus and his conquest of Egypt... The Silk Road Silk Route redirects here. ... A trade route is the sequence of pathways and stopping places used for the commercial transport of cargo. ... The Ancient Tea Route (Chinese: 茶马古道) was a network of mule caravan paths winding through the mountains of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. ... The Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks (Путь «из варяг в греки» in Russian) was a trade route, which connected Scandinavia, Kievan Rus and the Byzantine Empire. ... Via Maris is an ancient trading route dating from the Early Bronze Age which linked Egypt with the northern empires of Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia - modern day Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. ... An example of three way trade in the North Atlantic Triangular trade is a historical term denoting trade between three ports or regions. ... In the Middle Ages, the Volga trade route connected Northern Europe and Northwestern Russia with the Caspian Sea. ... The Great Mosque of Djenné, founded in 800, an important trading base, now a World Heritage Site Trans-Saharan trade, refers to trade across the Sahara between Mediterranean countries and West Africa. ... The Old Salt Route (German: Alte Salzstraße) was a medieval trade route in northern Germany for the transport of salt. ... Carta marina of the Baltic Sea region (1539). ... The Grand Trunk Road (abbreviated to GT Road in common usage) is one of South Asias oldest and longest major roads. ... Herodotus of Halicarnassus (Greek: HÄ“rodotos Halikarnāsseus) was a Greek historian from Ionia who lived in the 5th century BC (ca. ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... A recent view of the ceremonial court of the thermae–gymnasium complex in Sardis, dated to 211—212 AD Sardis, also Sardes (Lydian: Sfard, Greek: Σάρδεις, Persian: Sparda), modern Sart in the Manisa province of Turkey, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, the seat of a proconsul under... Ä°zmir, historically Smyrna, is the third most populous city of Turkey and the countrys largest port after Ä°stanbul. ... For other uses, see Assyria (disambiguation). ... , For other uses, see Nineveh (disambiguation). ... Mosul (Arabic: , Kurdish: موصل Mûsil, Syriac: NînÄ›wâ, Turkish: Musul) is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate. ... For other uses, see Babylon (disambiguation). ... Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Golden Rhyton from Irans Achaemenid period. ... The Silk Road Silk Route redirects here. ... Winged sphinx from the palace of Darius the Great at Susa. ... Persepolis aerial view. ...

History of the Royal Road

Because the road did not follow the shortest nor the easiest route between the important cities of the Persian Empire, archeologists believe the western-most sections of the road may have originally been built by the Assyrian kings, as the road plunges through the heart of their old empire. More eastern segments of the road (in present-day northern Iran) are coincident with the major trade route known as the Silk Road.

However, Darius I made the Royal Road as it is recognized today by improving the road bed and connecting the parts together in a unified whole, primarily as a quick mode of communication using the kingdom's pirradazis, or messengers.

The construction of the road as improved by Darius was of such quality that the road continued to be used into Ancient Rome. A bridge at Diyarbakır, Turkey still stands from this period of the road's use. The road also helped Persia increase long distance trade, which reached its peak during the time of Alexander of Macedon.

Cultural references to the Royal Road

Euclid is said to have replied to King Ptolemy's request for an easier way of learning mathematics that "there is no royal road to geometry"[1]. Charles S. Peirce, in his 'How to Make Our Ideas Clear' (1878), says 'There is no royal road to logic, and really valuable ideas can only be had at the price of close attention.' This essay was claimed by William James as instrumental in the foundation of the philosophical school of pragmatism. Sigmund Freud also famously described dreams as the 'royal road to the unconscious'. The phrase was echoed in a modern context in the essay No Silver Bullet where Fred Brooks said of software engineering improvements: "There is no royal road, but there is a road". For other uses, see Euclid (disambiguation). ... For the unrelated astronomer, see Ptolemy Ptolemy I Soter (367 BC–283 BC), ruler of Egypt (reigned 323 BC - 283 BC) and founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty. ... Charles Sanders Peirce Charles Sanders Peirce (September 10, 1839 – April 19, 1914) was an American logician, philosopher, scientist, and mathematician. ... No Silver Bullet - essence and accidents of software engineering is a well-known paper on software engineering written by Fred Brooks in 1986. ... Frederick Phillips Brooks, Jr. ... Software engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software. ...

References

• The Persian Royal Road. Livius: Articles on Ancient History. Retrieved on February 16, 2005.
• The Royal Road. The History of Iran. Retrieved on May 5, 2006.

is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... // is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Persian Corridor
• Baghdad Railway
• Trans-Iranian Railway
• History of Iran
• Achaemenid Empire