The role and position of communication networks in the strategy of the Achaemenid Empire

Subject Areas : Journal of History (Tarikh)

Eskandar Mombeini ¹ (PhD Student in History, Department of History, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.)
Shokooh Sadat Arabi Hashemi ² (Assistant Professor of History, Department of History, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.)
Ahmad Kamranifar ³ (Assistant Professor, Department of History, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.)

Received: 2021-09-12 Accepted : 2021-12-05 Published : 2022-03-21

Keywords: Communication, Achaemenid Empire, Satrap, chaparkhaneh,

Abstract :

The Achaemenids were among those who used chaparrs in this field to facilitate the movement of news and communication with other different areas and to be aware of reports and timely delivery of news. It was the Achaemenids. Chaparrs delivered news, reports, and letters to the center and from the center to the farthest corners of the empire. Of course, this method of informing was specific to government officials. Other methods were used to inform the public, including the Sangi newspaper, by placing the newspaper on the side of the road, while important news in three Elamite languages. The Persians and Babylonians had a role to play in informing the passengers who were crossing this road. The Achaemenid kings paid special attention to the maritime trade of the Persian Gulf, and this led to the growth and prosperity of its cities and coastal settlements. In this research, an attempt has been made to draw and retrieve the road network of the Achaemenid period using first-hand information and descriptive-analytical methods, and to express how to maintain them. In the end, we have come to the conclusion that the Achaemenids are the first real empire in the world. There was only one commander who ruled over a large number of different nations. They established satrapies, printing presses, and even light transmitters, signaling devices were built on top of mountains, and they could be used to quickly send a message from one end of the empire to the other