Discover where the first postal service was established and learn about its fascinating history, designed for young learners.
The first postal service known in history was established in Persia (modern-day Iran) around 550 B.C.. This postal system was created by the Persian king, Darius the Great.
Darius set up a network of messengers who would travel on horseback to deliver messages across his vast empire. They used a series of relays, which meant that they would change horses at various points along the route, allowing them to travel much faster. The saying “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” might seem familiar to you because it reflects the spirit of postal workers everywhere throughout history!
This postal service helped to improve communication within the empire, allowing the king to send messages to different parts of Persia quickly. It also helped in maintaining control over such a large area and made it easier to collect taxes and gather information.
The ideas from the Persian postal service influenced other civilizations. For example, the ancient Romans and later the British developed their own postal systems based on similar concepts. Today, postal services around the world owe a lot to that early system in Persia!
The Persian postal system also had a clever way of protecting messages. They were sometimes sealed in clay containers, making it hard for anyone to read them without breaking the seal!