POSTAL SYSTEM

Artist Name Unknown Title Cuneiform Tablets from Assyrian Trading Post Date circa 1875-1840 B.C. Place Made Anatolia Collection Area Art of the Middle East: Ancient Medium Clay Dimensions 2 1/2 x 2 in. (6.35 x 5.08 cm) Credit Line Herbert R. Cole Collection.


 Assyrian is dead language that has not been spoken for two millennia.





If you were rich and lived in Assyria or Egypt 2000 BC (4000 years ago) you could send a letter even to another country (Empire).

Assyria

19^th century BC Assyria was well organized merchant empire which used postal service as one of the most important parts of merchant society. The ability to quickly and reliably communicate across vast distances turned out to be a key element in the cohesion of the empire. Letters were written on clay tablets that were three inches square enclosed in clay envelopes with name and address of receiver. Not all the letters were written about business, some of them talked about private themes and gossips. The Assyrian imperial communication network relied on mounted messengers and transport animal used for this purpose was the mule.

Egypt

In the same time Egyptians had organized royal system of couriers which at first used river for transport and around 1900 BC they moved to the land after establishing relay stations. Royal couriers were connecting Egypt with neighbor Empires. Interesting fact is that letters were written in Babylonian language, not Egyptian, as Babylonian was popular language in that time. First written records of using pigeons for message delivery date to 12th century BC.

Ancient Egyptian officials

China

A post house service had been started early during Chou Dynasty (ruled 1122-221 BC). At that time, Chinese post relays were used mostly to convey official documents. The far-reaching system contained relays of messengers who changed their horses every 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) apart. Adding a feather on message meant “Urgent”. By 2nd century, it was the Chinese that first used the paper as a writing material. In 13th century, Marco Polo described the imperial service having over 25,000 relay stations.

Persia

The first real postal system has been organized in Persia (Iran today). Empire Cyrus II (550. – 530.bc) built King’s road and stationed post houses by the road in interval of a day's journey. The riders would stop at post houses to pass on their packets and dispatches to another messenger for the remaining distance. This system kept the mail moving constantly towards its destination. It’s said that message could reach its destination from start of the route until the end, long 2600 kilometers, in 9 days.
"It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a day's journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed". Herodotus, Greeks were fascinated with Persian delivery system.
The proof that Persians were the masters of organization is thet their postal system with minor changes survived almost 2000 years.

Greece

5th century BC, Greeks are using pigeons for communication. They were sending love letters, reports from Olympic Games etc... 

India

Circa 322-185 BC, the Mauryan Empire brought a stable political system and economic growth to the country. Along with other public improvements, the Mauryans developed a mail service. Using chariots called “dagana,” the riders carried mail throughout India.

Roman Empire

The Romans adapted state post from the Persians and built the most advanced postal delivery system known until that time. Its area was the whole Mediterranean world. Reliable communication from Rome to governors and military officials in faraway provinces was a necessity. A series of forts and stations were spread out along the major road systems connecting the regions of the Roman world. Approximate calculation says that couriers covered 66 to103 km (41-64 miles) per day using the relay stations; if they had messages of urgency riders could cover about 270 kilometers (170 miles) in a 24-hour period. It was common to use pigeons for message delivery as well as swallows.


Sumerian civilization was first that noticed how pigeons always come back to their nest, no matter how far you take them away.

Funny facts

“One Roman gentleman who was particularly fond of chariot racing would catch swallows from a nest at his country home and take them to the races in Rome. To give his friends advance results, he would paint the birds with the colour of the winning team and release them to fly back to their nest. Swallows were excellent carriers as their speed meant they were rarely caught by predators.” Pliny

Assyrian curse: "Just as a mule has no offspring, may your name, your seed, and the seed of your sons and your daughters disappear from the land." (SAA 2 6: 537-539) 

“The influence of the righteous travels faster than a royal edict by post-station service.” Confucius



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