page_title: Silk Road
section_title: Persian Royal Road (500–330 BCE)
hierarchical_section_title: Silk Road / Precursors / Persian Royal Road (500–330 BCE)
caption_attribution_description: English: Achaemenid Empire at its greatest extent according to Oxford Atlas of World History 2002. Sources: Visible online: 2002 Oxford Atlas of World History p.42 (West portion of the Achaemenid Empire) and p.43 (East portion of the Achaemenid Empire).(in English) (2002) Atlas of World History, Oxford University Press, pp.&#160;42-43 ISBN&#58; 9780195219210.&#32; Visible online: Philip's Atlas of World History (1999) The Times Atlas of World History, p.79 (1989)(in English) (1989) The Times Atlas of World History, Times Books, p.&#160;79 ISBN&#58; 9780723003041.&#32;
context_page_description: The Silk Road was a network of trade routes which connected the East and West, and was central to the economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between these regions from the 2nd century BCE to the 18th century. The Silk Road primarily refers to the land routes connecting East Asia and Southeast Asia with South Asia, Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and Southern Europe.
  The Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in silk carried out along its length, beginning in the Han dynasty in China. The Han dynasty expanded the Central Asian section of the trade routes around 114 BCE through the missions and explorations of the Chinese imperial envoy Zhang Qian, as well as several military conquests. The Chinese took great interest in the security of their trade products, and extended the Great Wall of China to ensure the protection of the trade route.
  The Silk Road trade played a significant role in the development of the civilizations of China, Korea, Japan, the Indian subcontinent, Iran, Europe, the Horn of Africa and Arabia, opening long-distance political and economic relations between the civilizations.
context_section_description: By the time of Herodotus (c. 475 BCE), the Royal Road of the Persian Empire ran some 2,857 km (1,775 mi) from the city of Susa on the Karun (250 km (155 mi) east of the Tigris) to the port of Smyrna (modern İzmir in Turkey) on the Aegean Sea. It was maintained and protected by the Achaemenid Empire (c. 500–330 BCE) and had postal stations and relays at regular intervals. By having fresh horses and riders ready at each relay, royal couriers could carry messages and traverse the length of the road in nine days, while normal travelers took about three months.
caption: Achaemenid Persian Empire at its greatest extent, showing the Royal Road.
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