Royal Road

E83628

The Royal Road was an ancient highway that linked key cities across the Persian Empire, enabling rapid communication, trade, and military movement over vast distances.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient highway
infrastructure
road
approximateLength about 1,677 miles
about 2,700 kilometers
connects Babylon
Ecbatana
Nineveh
Persepolis
Sardis
Susa
key cities of the Persian Empire
constructedBy Achaemenid Empire NERFINISHED
crosses Anatolia
Iranian Plateau
Mesopotamia
developedUnder Darius I NERFINISHED
enables efficient imperial administration
integration of distant provinces
endPoint Susa
hasAlternativeName Royal Road of the Achaemenids
hasFeature posting stations
relay stations
royal couriers
historicalPeriod Achaemenid period
inspired later imperial road systems
knownFromSource Herodotus
languageOfEmpire Old Persian
locatedIn Persian Empire NERFINISHED
locatedInPresentDay Iran
Iraq
Syria
Turkey
maintainedBy Achaemenid administration
partOf Achaemenid Empire
region Western Asia
significance enabled rapid transmission of royal decrees
facilitated control over a vast empire
promoted long-distance trade
startPoint Sardis
travelTimeByCourier about 7 days between Sardis and Susa
travelTimeOnFoot about 3 months between Sardis and Susa
usedBy merchants
military forces
royal messengers
usedFor military movement
rapid communication
trade

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Achaemenid Empire
transportInfrastructure

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