ABSTRACT
The central authority’s ability to control the conquered lands, proclaim its presence, collect and monitor its profits, and maintain security, depended on an efficient system of communication. The Persepolis Fortification archive provides the most important information on several relevant aspects (15, no.1; fig.15.1 ). First, it reveals that the entire empire was linked together by a network of roads. The issues of travel rations note destinations (conversely starting points) of parties en route, so we can see that the roads reach to India, Afghanistan, Areia, Bactria, Carmania, Media, Elam, Lydia, Babylonia, Egypt and the Syrian steppe. Particularly valuable is the fact that they note travellers going to, and coming from, the empire’s eastern and south-western regions. This balances Herodotus’ description of the ‘royal road’ from Sardis to Susa (15, no.3), expanding the geopolitical perspective to cover the whole empire. We also have the physical remains of a way-station of the type mentioned by Herodotus. It was sited along the main road leading from the Mesopotamian plain past Bisitun to Ecbatana in Media ( fig.15.2 ). Documents from the early hellenistic period ([Arist.] Oec. 2.2.14b; RC 18; 20) add some further information on stretches of the Persian road system in Caria and Phrygia. 1 Another important point to note is that Ctesias, writing in the 390s, ended his work with a description (unfortunately not preserved) of the roads, way-stations and distances from Ephesus in the west to Bactria in Central Asia (15, no.2). This shows clearly that Achaemenid control of its eastern regions had not been eroded by the fourth century, despite the loss of Egypt (9, Section C(b)). The conclusion must be that this all-embracing communication network was maintained throughout the empire’s existence. Sketchmap Showing the Principal Routes of the Empire. (After Briant 1996a [2002b].) https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203607749/431c4a9d-c9b4-4470-b53f-3cd8a0ca322d/content/fig15_01_B.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> (a) Sketchmap Showing Location of the Deh-Bozan way-Station on the Route between Bisitun and Ecbatana. The Remains Suggest that it Consisted of a Six-Columned, Wooden Roofed Lodge. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203607749/431c4a9d-c9b4-4470-b53f-3cd8a0ca322d/content/fig15_02_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> (b) Drawing of Bell-Shaped Column Base, Made of Polished Black Stone, Deh-Bozan. The Column Shafts were Probably of Wood. (After Mousavi 1989.) https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203607749/431c4a9d-c9b4-4470-b53f-3cd8a0ca322d/content/fig15_02a_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
