Persian Courier System

Timeline

1. c. -550–-520Persian Plateau · PersiaSoon after the Achaemenid Empire's founding, relay stations were set up along major routes, equipped with horse-changing facilities and professional messengers, forming the backbone of the empire's information network.
2. c. -500–-450Along the Royal Road · Persian EmpireDarius I integrated the courier system with the Royal Road; the Greek term angarium denoted a system of compulsory requisition of relay horses, allowing messengers to ride in relay at speeds far exceeding ordinary norms.
3. c. -450–-334Throughout the Persian Empire · Persian EmpireIn the late empire the courier system covered the main provincial routes, carrying not only imperial edicts but also military reports and tribute-dispatch information, a key organization sustaining the transcontinental empire.
4. -330Susa · SusaAfter the Achaemenid Empire fell, the unified state courier organization collapsed, but its relay communication model was borrowed and developed by successor states such as the Roman Empire.