Royal road. Persia Royal Road of the Persian Empire

The Persian state had a huge impact on the history of the Ancient World. Formed by a small tribal union, the state of the Achaemenids lasted about two hundred years. The splendor and power of the country of the Persians are mentioned in many ancient sources, including the Bible.

Start

For the first time, the mention of the Persians is found in Assyrian sources. In an inscription dated to the ninth century BC. e., contains the name of the land of Parsua. Geographically, this region was located in the Central Zagros region, and during the mentioned period, the population of this region paid tribute to the Assyrians. Tribal unions did not yet exist. The Assyrians mention 27 kingdoms under their control. In the 7th century the Persians, apparently, entered into a tribal union, since references to kings from the Achaemenid tribe appeared in the sources. The history of the Persian state begins in 646 BC, when Cyrus I became the ruler of the Persians.

During the reign of Cyrus I, the Persians significantly expanded the territories under their control, including taking over most of the Iranian plateau. At the same time, the first capital of the Persian state, the city of Pasargada, was founded. Part of the Persians was engaged in agriculture, part led

Rise of the Persian Empire

At the end of the VI century. BC e. the Persian people were ruled by Cambyses I, who was dependent on the kings of Media. The son of Cambyses, Cyrus II, became the lord of the settled Persians. Information about the ancient Persian people is scarce and fragmentary. Apparently, the main unit of society was the patriarchal family, headed by a man who had the right to dispose of the life and property of his loved ones. The community, at first tribal, and later rural, for several centuries was a powerful force. Several communities formed a tribe, several tribes could already be called a people.

The emergence of the Persian state came at a time when the entire Middle East was divided between four states: Egypt, Media, Lydia, Babylonia.

Even in its heyday, Media was actually a fragile tribal union. Thanks to the victories of King Cyaxares of Media, the state of Urartu and the ancient country of Elam were conquered. The descendants of Cyaxares could not keep the conquests of their great ancestor. The constant war with Babylon required the presence of troops on the border. This weakened the internal politics of Media, which the vassals of the Median king took advantage of.

Reign of Cyrus II

In 553, Cyrus II revolted against the Medes, to whom the Persians paid tribute for several centuries. The war lasted three years and ended in a crushing defeat for the Medes. The capital of Media (the city of Ektabani) became one of the residences of the ruler of the Persians. Having conquered the ancient country, Cyrus II formally retained the Median kingdom and assumed the titles of Median lords. Thus began the formation of the Persian state.

After the capture of Media, Persia declared itself as a new state in world history, and for two centuries played an important role in the events taking place in the Middle East. In 549-548 years. the newly formed state conquered Elam and subjugated a number of countries that were part of the former Median state. Parthia, Armenia, Hyrcania began to pay tribute to the new Persian rulers.

War with Lydia

Croesus, the lord of powerful Lydia, was aware of what a dangerous adversary the Persian state was. A number of alliances were made with Egypt and Sparta. However, the Allies did not manage to start full-scale military operations. Croesus did not want to wait for help and went out alone against the Persians. In the decisive battle near the capital of Lydia - the city of Sardis, Croesus brought his cavalry to the battlefield, which was considered invincible. Cyrus II sent out warriors on camels. The horses, seeing unknown animals, refused to obey the riders, the Lydian horsemen were forced to fight on foot. The unequal battle ended with the retreat of the Lydians, after which the city of Sardis was besieged by the Persians. Of the former allies, only the Spartans decided to come to the aid of Croesus. But while the campaign was being prepared, the city of Sardis fell, and the Persians subjugated Lydia.

Expanding the boundaries

Then came the turn of the Greek policies that were on the territory.

At the end of the 6th century, the Persian state expanded its borders to the northwestern regions of India, to the cordons of the Hindu Kush and subjugated the tribes living in the basin of the river. Syrdarya. Only after strengthening the borders, suppressing rebellions and establishing royal power, Cyrus II turned his attention to powerful Babylonia. On October 20, 539, the city fell, and Cyrus II became the official ruler of Babylon, and at the same time the ruler of one of the largest powers of the Ancient World - the Persian kingdom.

Reign of Cambyses

Cyrus died in battle with the Massagetae in 530 BC. e. His policy was successfully carried out by his son Cambyses. After a thorough preliminary diplomatic preparation, Egypt, another enemy of Persia, found itself completely alone and could not count on the support of the allies. Cambyses carried out his father's plan and conquered Egypt in 522 BC. e. Meanwhile, in Persia itself, discontent was ripening and a rebellion broke out. Cambyses hurried to his homeland and died on the road under mysterious circumstances. After some time, the ancient Persian state provided an opportunity to gain power to the representative of the younger branch of the Achaemenids - Darius Hystaspes.

The beginning of the reign of Darius

The seizure of power by Darius I caused discontent and grumbling in the enslaved Babylonia. The leader of the rebels declared himself the son of the last Babylonian ruler and became known as Nebuchadnezzar III. In December 522 BC. e. Darius I won. The leaders of the rebels were put to public execution.

Punitive actions distracted Darius, and meanwhile rebellions rose in Media, Elam, Parthia and other areas. It took the new ruler more than a year to pacify the country and restore the state of Cyrus II and Cambyses to its former borders.

Between 518 and 512, the Persian empire conquered Macedonia, Thrace and part of India. This time is considered the heyday of the ancient kingdom of the Persians. The state of world significance united dozens of countries and hundreds of tribes and peoples under its rule.

The social structure of ancient Persia. Reforms of Darius

The Persian state of the Achaemenids was distinguished by a wide variety of social structures and customs. Babylonia, Syria, Egypt long before Persia were considered highly developed states, and the recently conquered tribes of nomads of Scythian and Arab origin were still at the stage of a primitive way of life.

Chain of uprisings 522-520 showed the inefficiency of the previous scheme of government. Therefore, Darius I carried out a number of administrative reforms and created a stable system of state control over the conquered peoples. The result of the reforms was the first effective administrative system in history, which served the rulers of the Achaemenids for generations.

An effective administrative apparatus is a clear example of how Darius ruled the Persian state. The country was divided into administrative-tax districts, which were called satrapies. The sizes of the satrapies were much larger than the territories of the early states, and in some cases coincided with the ethnographic boundaries of the ancient peoples. For example, the satrapy of Egypt territorially almost completely coincided with the borders of this state before its conquest by the Persians. The districts were led by state officials - satraps. Unlike his predecessors, who were looking for their governors among the nobility of the conquered peoples, Darius I put only nobles of Persian origin in these positions.

Functions of governors

Previously, the governor combined both administrative and civil functions. The satrap of the time of Darius had only civil powers, the military authorities were not subordinate to him. The satraps had the right to mint coins, were in charge of the economic activities of the country, collected taxes, and ruled the court. In peacetime, the satraps were provided with little personal protection. The army was subordinated exclusively to military leaders, independent of the satraps.

The implementation of state reforms led to the creation of a large central administrative apparatus headed by the royal office. State administration was conducted by the capital of the Persian state - the city of Susa. The large cities of that time, Babylon, Ektabana, Memphis, also had their own offices.

Satraps and officials were under the vigilant control of the secret police. In ancient sources, it was called "the ears and the eye of the king." The control and supervision of the officials was entrusted to the Khazarapat - the chief of the thousand. State correspondence was conducted on which almost all the peoples of Persia owned.

Culture of the Persian Empire

Ancient Persia left a great architectural heritage to the descendants. The magnificent palace complexes in Susa, Persepolis and Pasargada made a stunning impression on contemporaries. The royal estates were surrounded by gardens and parks. One of the monuments that have survived to this day is the tomb of Cyrus II. Many similar monuments that arose hundreds of years later took the architecture of the tomb of the Persian king as a basis. The culture of the Persian state contributed to the glorification of the king and the strengthening of royal power among the conquered peoples.

The art of ancient Persia combined the artistic traditions of the Iranian tribes, intertwined with elements of Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian cultures. Among the items that have come down to the descendants, there are many decorations, bowls and vases, various goblets, decorated with exquisite paintings. A special place in the finds is occupied by numerous seals with images of kings and heroes, as well as various animals and fantastic creatures.

The economic development of Persia in the time of Darius

A special position in the Persian kingdom was occupied by the nobility. The nobles owned large land holdings in all the conquered territories. Huge plots were placed at the disposal of the "benefactors" of the tsar for personal services to him. The owners of such lands had the right to manage, transfer allotments as inheritance to their descendants, and they were also entrusted with the exercise of judicial power over subjects. The system of land use was widely used, in which the plots were called allotments of a horse, bow, chariot, etc. The king distributed such lands to his soldiers, for which their owners had to serve in the army as horsemen, archers, and charioteers.

But as before, huge tracts of land were in the direct possession of the king himself. They were usually rented out. The products of agriculture and cattle breeding were accepted as payment for them.

In addition to the lands, canals were in the immediate royal power. The administrators of the royal property rented them out and collected taxes for the use of water. For the irrigation of fertile soils, a fee was charged, reaching 1/3 of the landowner's crop.

Persia workforce

Slave labor was used in all sectors of the economy. The bulk of them were usually prisoners of war. Bonded slavery, when people sold themselves, did not become widespread. Slaves had a number of privileges, for example, the right to have their own seals and participate in various transactions as full partners. A slave could redeem himself by paying a certain dues, and also be a plaintiff, witness or defendant in legal proceedings, of course, not against his masters. The practice of recruiting hired workers for a certain amount of money was widespread. The work of such laborers was particularly widespread in Babylonia, where they dug canals, made roads, and harvested crops from royal or temple fields.

Financial policy of Darius

Taxes were the main source of funds for the treasury. In 519, the king approved the basic system of state taxes. Taxes were calculated for each satrapy, taking into account its territory and land fertility. The Persians, as a conquering people, did not pay a cash tax, but were not exempt from tax in kind.

Various monetary units that continued to exist even after the unification of the country brought a lot of inconvenience, so in 517 BC. e. The king introduced a new gold coin, called the darik. The medium of exchange was the silver shekel, which was worth 1/20 of a darik and served in those days. On the reverse of both coins was placed the image of Darius I.

Transport routes of the Persian state

The spread of the road network contributed to the development of trade between the various satrapies. The royal road of the Persian state began in Lydia, crossed Asia Minor and passed through Babylon, and from there to Susa and Persepolis. The sea routes laid by the Greeks were successfully used by the Persians in trade and for the transfer of military force.

The sea expeditions of the ancient Persians are also known, for example, the voyage of the navigator Skilak to the Indian shores in 518 BC. e.

Plan
Introduction
1 Description
2 Length
3 The royal road as a metaphor

Introduction

The Royal Road is a paved road known from the works of Herodotus, built by the Persian king Darius I in the 5th century BC.

1. Description

The fifth and eighth books of the History of Herodotus describe the length of the road that connected the distant parts of the Achaemenid state. Pointing out which cities it passed through, the historian admiringly describes the structure of the Persian postal service and the speed with which the messengers of Darius moved:

There is nothing in the world faster than these messengers: the Persians have such a clever postal service! They say that throughout the whole journey they have horses and people arranged, so that for each day of the journey there is a special horse and person. Neither snow, nor downpour, nor heat, nor even the night time can prevent each rider from galloping at full speed for the designated segment of the path. The first messenger conveys the news to the second, and the latter to the third. And so the message passes from hand to hand until it reaches the goal, like torches at the Hellenic feast in honor of Hephaestus. The Persians call this equestrian mail "angareion".

2. Length

The length of the Royal Road is reconstructed according to Herodotus, other historical evidence and archaeological data. It started in Sardis (about 90 km east of the modern city of Izmir in Turkey) and ran east to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh (today's Mosul in Iraq). Then, as it is believed, it was divided into two parts: one led to the east, through Ecbatana to the Silk Road, the other - to the south and southeast, to Susa and Persepolis.

Since the Royal Road was not laid along the most convenient route that could connect the largest Persian cities, historians believe that sections of roads laid by the Assyrian kings were used during the construction. In the east, it practically merges with the Silk Road.

The quality of the paved road was so high that it continued to be used at least until the Roman era; in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir, a bridge rebuilt by the Romans, which was part of the Royal Road, has been preserved. Its construction contributed to the flourishing of Persian trade, which reached its peak during the time of Alexander the Great.

3. Royal road as a metaphor

The expression “royal road” or “royal path” became a catch phrase in antiquity, denoting the fastest, easiest and most reasonable way to achieve something. The phrase of Euclid, addressed to the Egyptian king Ptolemy, who wanted to learn the sciences, is famous: “There are no royal roads in geometry!”. Freud spoke of dreams as "the royal road to the unconscious."

In Christian theology, the expression "royal way" has been used as a metaphor for moderation. An excerpt from an article by Hieromonk Seraphim Rose:

“The doctrine of this “royal path” is explained by St. Basil the Great: “He is right in heart, whose thought does not deviate either into excess or into deficiency, but is directed only towards the middle of virtue.” But, perhaps, this teaching was most clearly expounded by the great Orthodox father of the 5th century, St. John Cassian. He faced a task similar to the one facing Orthodoxy today: to expound the pure teaching of the Eastern Fathers to the peoples of the West, who were then spiritually immature and did not yet understand the depth and subtlety of the spiritual teaching of the Orthodox East. In applying this teaching to life, they tended either to be relaxed or too strict. St. Cassian expounds the Orthodox teaching on the “royal path” in his discourse “On Sobriety”: “With all our strength and with all the effort we must strive to acquire through humility the good gift of sobriety, which can keep us intact from excess on both sides. . For, as the fathers say, extremes exist on both sides - on the right there is a danger of being deceived by excessive abstinence, and on the left - to be carried away into carelessness and relaxation. And the temptation from the “right” is even more dangerous than from the “left”. “Excessive abstinence is more harmful than saturation, because through repentance one can pass from the latter to a correct understanding, but not from the former” (that is, because pride in one’s “virtue” stands in the way of repentant humility, which can serve the cause of salvation).

John Cassian, in his teaching on the royal path, speaks of overstressed preservation of oneself from excessive abstinence and relaxation, but then the royal path began to mean moderation among the Orthodox, which can hardly be distinguished from lukewarmness.

The road network of the Persian Empire, especially during the era of King Darius (551-468 BC), may, to some extent, represent an analogy to the modern road network.

The first bridge from Europe to Asia across the Bosphorus was built in 500 BC. e. He was floating from ships.

The Persians fought several warriors with the Greeks. Long marches of troops, which included horsemen, chariots, wheeled carts, required well-maintained roads. Was built " royal road”(length - 1800 km, and in other sources - 2600 km) from the city of Ephesus *** (Aegean coast) to the center of Mesopotamia - the city of Susa. In addition to this road, there were others that connected Babylon with the Indian border and the "Royal Road" with the center of Phenicia (the city of Tyre), with the city of Memphis (the city of Cairo), with the city of Sinoi on the Black Sea.

The Persians were good at laying roads on the ground. They bypassed swamps, floodplains, steep slopes, landslides. The roads passed near settlements without entering them.

Pillars were installed on the roads indicating distances, parking lots and other points of official purpose. The roads were guarded. There were special military posts that regulated traffic on the road. However, the "Royal Road" could only be used when fulfilling the highest state needs.

Roads of Ancient Greece

The roads of Ancient Greece (sea power) were inferior to the Persian ones in technical condition.

They were narrow and not suitable for wagons. Quite often, quarrels arose on the roads because of the unwillingness to let the oncoming rider go forward.

· The development of roads in Greece was also hampered by the fierce rivalry between Athens and Sparta. The 30-year war (from 431 BC) between them ended in the defeat of Athens.

5 Roads of the Roman Empire

The Roman Empire had a vast territory, therefore, the first task for the administration of the state was: the construction of roads, which were distinguished by great strength and durability (some have survived to this day);

· All roads began from the milestone, installed on Frum (the central square of Rome) at the foot of the Temple of Saturn. 29 roads were included in Rome;

· All in all, the Roman Empire had 372 major roads with a total length of 80,000 km. Until now, there is a saying: "all roads lead to Rome";

· the construction of roads was considered one of the most important merits in the state (!). The names of prominent road builders were carved on triumphal arches and minted on coins. Wherever the Roman legions appeared, in the lands they conquered, slaves paved roads. Separate sections of the road (built in 312 BC) between Rome and Capuchia (length 350 km) have survived to this day. On this road, laid out of large hewn stones on limestone mortar, two wagons could pass freely. Appius Claudius, the first initiator of major road construction in the Roman Empire, supervised the construction. In honor of his merits, the road was called "Via Appia". In 244 BC. e. The Appian Way was greatly improved and lengthened, and was often called "queen" roads (width 5m);

Some roads were divided into lanes for horse and foot traffic;

By the way, under Appius Claudius (311 BC), one of the earliest aqueducts was built, and by the time of the reign of Emperor Claudius, who conquered Britain (mid-1st century BC), water was supplied to Rome by 11 aqueducts with a total over 50 km long.

The construction of bridges was considered a matter so pleasing to God that the Pope of Rome, among other titles, is still called “Pontifex Maximus” (“Great Bridge Builder”).

What is the secret of the longevity of Roman roads?!

road construction material Roman concrete. To increase water resistance and impermeability, volcanic dust from the town of Pozzoli was introduced into the concrete - pozzolanic additives, as they say now. This material was widely used in the construction of thermae - public baths.

· It should be noted that the builders of Roman roads very successfully laid them. Many modern roads are built along the routes of ancient roads.

· The road service was well organized. On especially important roads, special stones were installed indicating distances to cities and various information necessary for travelers. Along the roads, at a distance equal to a day's march, there were taverns, hotels, and trading shops.

· And Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) first introduced a traffic control service at busy intersections, as well as a road code, according to which, on some streets, the movement of carriages was allowed only in one direction (one-way traffic).

· The speed of movement on Roman roads was 7.5 km/h.

· All roads have been accurately measured. Road data was stored in the Pantheon*, where everyone could see it.

· Maps of the road network passing through the Roman Empire were drawn up in the form of scrolls 30 cm wide and up to 7.0 m long (compare the longitudinal profile of our roads). Road maps could be used on the road, as there was a postal service on Roman roads.

After the fall of the Roman Empire (476), Europe broke up into hundreds of separate principalities, counties, who cared little about the state of the road network.

7 Roads of China

An example of the most perfect, in strategic and technical terms, the road was the Great Wall of China. It has been built for many centuries since the 6th century BC. e. the length of the wall is more than 4 thousand km. The height of the earthen rampart, which was lined with stone in places, ranged from 6 m to 10 m, the width was 5.5 m. A road was laid along the top, along which troops and wagons could move. There were tall guard towers on the wall. The Great Wall of China was united into a single structure during the era of the Qing Empire (221-207 BC).

8 Inca Roads

*** Ephesus is famous for the fact that the Temple of the goddess Diana was located there - the fourth wonder of the world. The roof was supported by 18 columns made of rock monolith, and the best works of Greek artists were kept inside. In 262 BC. e. Complicated by Gotami.

* Pantheon - "temple of all gods", built in 115-125. BC. Apollodorus of Damascus. Dome diameter d= 41.6m f= 20.8m. had a round hole at the top d= 8.2m for ventilation and lighting.

Plan
Introduction
1 Description
2 Length
3 The royal road as a metaphor

Introduction

The Royal Road is a paved road known from the works of Herodotus, built by the Persian king Darius I in the 5th century BC.

1. Description

The fifth and eighth books of the History of Herodotus describe the length of the road that connected the distant parts of the Achaemenid state. Pointing out which cities it passed through, the historian admiringly describes the structure of the Persian postal service and the speed with which the messengers of Darius moved:

There is nothing in the world faster than these messengers: the Persians have such a clever postal service! They say that throughout the whole journey they have horses and people arranged, so that for each day of the journey there is a special horse and person. Neither snow, nor downpour, nor heat, nor even the night time can prevent each rider from galloping at full speed for the designated segment of the path. The first messenger conveys the news to the second, and the latter to the third. And so the message passes from hand to hand until it reaches the goal, like torches at the Hellenic feast in honor of Hephaestus. The Persians call this equestrian mail "angareion".

2. Length

The length of the Royal Road is reconstructed according to Herodotus, other historical evidence and archaeological data. It started in Sardis (about 90 km east of the modern city of Izmir in Turkey) and ran east to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh (today's Mosul in Iraq). Then, as it is believed, it was divided into two parts: one led to the east, through Ecbatana to the Silk Road, the other - to the south and southeast, to Susa and Persepolis.

Since the Royal Road was not laid along the most convenient route that could connect the largest Persian cities, historians believe that sections of roads laid by the Assyrian kings were used during the construction. In the east, it practically merges with the Silk Road.

The quality of the paved road was so high that it continued to be used at least until the Roman era; in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir, a bridge rebuilt by the Romans, which was part of the Royal Road, has been preserved. Its construction contributed to the flourishing of Persian trade, which reached its peak during the time of Alexander the Great.

3. Royal road as a metaphor

The expression “royal road” or “royal path” became a catch phrase in antiquity, denoting the fastest, easiest and most reasonable way to achieve something. The phrase of Euclid, addressed to the Egyptian king Ptolemy, who wanted to learn the sciences, is famous: “There are no royal roads in geometry!”. Freud spoke of dreams as "the royal road to the unconscious."

In Christian theology, the expression "royal way" has been used as a metaphor for moderation. An excerpt from an article by Hieromonk Seraphim Rose:

“The doctrine of this “royal path” is explained by St. Basil the Great: “He is right in heart, whose thought does not deviate either into excess or into deficiency, but is directed only towards the middle of virtue.” But, perhaps, this teaching was most clearly expounded by the great Orthodox father of the 5th century, St. John Cassian. He faced a task similar to the one facing Orthodoxy today: to expound the pure teaching of the Eastern Fathers to the peoples of the West, who were then spiritually immature and did not yet understand the depth and subtlety of the spiritual teaching of the Orthodox East. In applying this teaching to life, they tended either to be relaxed or too strict. St. Cassian expounds the Orthodox teaching on the “royal path” in his discourse “On Sobriety”: “With all our strength and with all the effort we must strive to acquire through humility the good gift of sobriety, which can keep us intact from excess on both sides. . For, as the fathers say, extremes exist on both sides - on the right there is a danger of being deceived by excessive abstinence, and on the left - to be carried away into carelessness and relaxation. And the temptation from the “right” is even more dangerous than from the “left”. “Excessive abstinence is more harmful than saturation, because through repentance one can pass from the latter to a correct understanding, but not from the former” (that is, because pride in one’s “virtue” stands in the way of repentant humility, which can serve the cause of salvation).

John Cassian, in his teaching on the royal path, speaks of overstressed preservation of oneself from excessive abstinence and relaxation, but then the royal path began to mean moderation among the Orthodox, which can hardly be distinguished from lukewarmness.

We now know the very first road in the history of mankind. Not a path, but a road, albeit a rather narrow one (in some places only about 30 cm).

The so-called "Suit's Road" was supposedly built around 5800-6000 years ago. It was found in the 70s of the last century, when a worker, Raymond Sweet, stumbled upon a hardwood board during peat extraction. Then another, and another ... As a result of archaeological excavations, it turned out that a road about 2 kilometers long was hidden in peat, and it connected two islands in a swampy area not far from stonehenge(by the way, his famous "stones" were delivered much later).

Moreover, "Suit's Road" was not just pieces of wood thrown to the ground. It was built of boards and had some kind of foundation. Moreover, some of its sections passed over open water - that is, we are talking about the first bridges in the history of mankind!

At the moment, British scientists have explored about 900 meters of this road. And they managed to make a lot of discoveries. For example, it became clear that the people living on the island already at that time had very decent tools for woodworking, they knew various crafts, had good building skills and were even familiar with forestry - certain varieties of trees of approximately the same type were used to build the road. age. Moreover, it was found that the climate in England used to be a little different - in winter the air temperature was 2-3 degrees lower, and in summer it was, on the contrary, hotter. And, perhaps, Sweet's Road will still bring us many surprises.

Royal road and queen of roads

The inhabitants of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt did not know that they were "ancient". However, this did not prevent them from building decent roads. One of the oldest paved roads in the history of mankind is considered to be a 12-kilometer straight in Egypt, which was built to transport blocks of basalt to Giza (the famous pyramids were eventually built from these stones). The so-called Royal Road in Persia, about which Herodotus spoke, was also impressive. According to him, it was a beautiful paved track, which was built by King Darius I in the 5th century BC. This road did not just connect many cities of Persia. Thanks to her, Darius I managed to create the most advanced postal service at that time.

Here is what Herodotus writes about her: “There is nothing in the world faster than these messengers: the Persians have such a clever postal service! They say that throughout the whole journey they have horses and people arranged, so that for each day of the journey there is a special horse and person. Neither snow, nor downpour, nor heat, nor even the night time can prevent each rider from galloping at full speed for the designated segment of the path. The first messenger conveys the news to the second, and the latter to the third. And so the message passes from hand to hand until it reaches the goal, like torches at the Hellenic feast in honor of Hephaestus. The Persians call this equestrian mail "angareion". The brainchild of Darius I was very famous in the ancient world, and the words "royal road" were often used to indicate the easiest way to reach the goal. Even Euclid once said to the Egyptian king Ptolemy: "There is no royal road in geometry!"

And yet, in the list of the greatest roads in the world, we will include another route, which is called Appian. It is the most important, the most beautiful and the most impressive of all the roads of ancient Rome. It was laid in 312 BC. under the censor Apius Claudius Caeca and passed from Rome to Capua (later it was carried out to Brundisium). It was through this road that the mighty Rome was connected with Greece, Egypt and Asia Minor. This track impressed all the inhabitants of that time. And this is not surprising. After all, almost all of it was paved with hewn stones, and the latter were laid on a multilayer pillow, which consisted of flat stones, a layer of crushed stone and limestone, and a layer of sand, gravel and lime. The width of the road was huge for those times - 4 meters. This allowed two horse-drawn carriages to pass freely, on the sides there were sidewalks and even ditches for water flow. And to make the road as smooth as possible, the builders tore off some of the hills and dug in the lowlands.

The creation of this highway (and you can’t say it differently) cost Appius a huge amount - almost the entire treasury went to it. But the result was the same. The Appian Way began to be called the “Queen of the Roads”, it became very prestigious to live next to it, chic monuments and tombs began to appear along it. And now the most interesting thing - the Appian Way still exists! Some sections of this route can even be driven by car.

Even before Germany

It is generally accepted that autobahns appeared in Germany. However, this is not quite true. Someone believes that they began to be built in the USA, but most often the very first freeway is called the road to ... Italy. It was inaugurated on September 21, 1924 and connected the cities of Milan and Varese.

Pietro Puricelli became the main builder of the highway, but he still used the German experience - he took many ideas for his motorway from the highway on the southwestern outskirts of Berlin, which was completed in 1921. However, that road, about 8 kilometers long, cannot be called a full-fledged autobahn. It was more like a race track, which was called AVUS (Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße or Automotive Transport and Training Street).

The first German autobahn was built only in 1932 - it connected the cities of Cologne and Bonn. But its construction was preceded by a lot of work - the first plan for creating a network of highways was developed in Germany back in 1909. And in 1926, a society for the construction of the Hamburg-Frankfurt am Main-Basel expressway was formed, which began planning work on several autobahns. That is, contrary to stereotypes, it was not Hitler who invented them at all, although such a legend was intensively spread during the Third Reich - according to Nazi propaganda, the idea of ​​autobahns came to Hitler in a dream in which he saw how Germany was covered with a network of highways. In fact, when Hitler came to power, he took 60 volumes of building plans that had already been drawn and made them the basis of his Führer Roads program (already in 1933, laying autobahns was declared a state task).

But what exactly is an autobahn? It's not just a straight road. It's a whole philosophy. After all, everything here is subordinated to one single goal - to let as many cars as possible over as long a distance as possible. That is why modern highways do not have intersections and sharp turns, oncoming flows are necessarily separated, each direction has at least two lanes. In addition, stopping on high-speed highways is strictly prohibited, in no case should you overtake on the right (and in general it is forbidden to move in the left lanes with free right ones), plus there is a restriction not only on maximum, but also on minimum speed.

There will be no more

The largest and perhaps the most difficult road in the world today is the so-called Pan-American Highway or Pan American highway. Very controversial, I must say, the highway. Judge for yourself - on the one hand, it unites North and South America, but on the other hand, you will not be able to drive along it from one continent to another. The length of this road is either 24 thousand kilometers, or 48 thousand. Where it begins and ends no one really knows.

It all started back in 1889, when it was decided at the First Pan-American Conference to build a road that would connect the two Americas. But then it was about the railway track. It did not work out ... However, in 1923 this issue was again on the agenda. And after much debate, it was decided to make a large highway that would connect the countries of South, Central and North America. Then we agreed that each country would be engaged in construction itself. And, apparently, this was a strategic mistake ... As a result, we have what we have - in fact, the Pan-American Highway is a set of roads of different quality, which are simply interconnected.

Although not quite connected... The main problem of the Pan American Highway now is the so-called Darien Hole (sometimes referred to by the more cultural word "gap"). This is a stretch of 87 kilometers in the territory of Panama and Colombia, where there is simply no road. Instead, there is the Darien National Park in Panama and Los Catios Park in Colombia. And there are still no plans to lay the highway there. They say that in this case, it will cut the tropical forests into two parts and cause great harm to the environment (there are a huge number of rare animals and plants in Darien Park, moreover, natives still live there). They say there is another reason for the refusal to build a highway - if an autobahn appears instead of a forest, then a stream of drugs from Colombia to North America can pour along it. Be that as it may, but now drivers are forced to take a ferry from Panama to the city of La Guaira in Venezuela or to the city of Buenaventura in Colombia.

It is believed that the "big" Pan-American Highway begins in Alaska in the city of Prudhoe Bay (neither the United States nor Canada are officially included in the coordinating Pan-American Highway Congress). And it ends either in Puerto Montt, or in Quellon in southern Chile. Or maybe in Argentinean Ushuaia. Thus, the road passes through the territory of 14 countries at once: USA, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina. In addition, thanks to branches, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela can be safely included in this system of roads.

A small road for a car, but a great road for humanity

Yes, this is not a road in the conventional sense of the word. She has no roadside and markings, no traffic lights and, oh, horror, no police posts. Moreover, it also has big problems with coverage, and cars don’t drive on it now. But still it is one of the greatest roads in the history of mankind. And to understand this, go outside at night and raise your head up. There, on the Moon, there is a small road that Lunokhod-1 "built". Our moon rover.

It should be recognized that we lost the "race for the Moon" - "Lunokhod-1" became only the fifth so-called "mobile formation" on the Earth's satellite - the Americans Armstrong, Aldrin, Konrad and Bean had already walked on it earlier. And yet it was Lunokhod-1 that was the first controlled vehicle.

Lunokhod 1 landed on the Moon on November 17, 1970. Initially, it was assumed that he would travel around the planet for only three or four days, but he was able to work for 11 days. Only 11? Yes, everything. But do not forget that we are talking about lunar days, which are equal to 13.66 earth days. During this time, he was able to overcome 10,540 meters, write the number 8 twice on International Women's Day and do a lot of research.

Dmitry Gaidukevich