postal system

postal system
   The ancient Mesopotamians did not have a complex, universal system of delivering letters and packages to and from ordinary people, by modern standards. However, the earliest precursors of modern postal systems do seem to have originated in Mesopotamia. Various ancient sources credit the Assyrians with instituting a post, which consisted of riders carrying messages from the king and/or his officials in the capital to the governors of imperial provinces. This system was the basis of a more sophisticated one established by the Persians in the wake of Assyria's decline. According to the Greek historian Xeno-phon, the first Persian king, Cyrus II, established the system. other ancient sources claim that one of Cyrus's successors, Darius I (reigned 522^86 b.c.), created the Persian royal post, called the Barid. Essential to the system were some long "royal roads," including the one that stretched from Susa in southeastern Mesopotamia to Sardis in western Anatolia. Although the Persian post at first dealt only with official government mail, evidence suggests that over time the couriers carried limited amounts of business and personal correspondence as well, foreshadowing the more universal postal systems of the future.
   See also: Darius I; roads; Sardis

Ancient Mesopotamia dictioary. . 2015.

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