Mail of ancient Rome. The mark of a criminal: from Ancient Rome to the present day What adorned the hat of the couriers of ancient Rome

1. Some hundred years ago, delivery of parcels and letters across Russia was considered very fast, if it did not exceed six months. In the old days, royal messengers could pay with their lives for bad news, and therefore the work of a courier in those days was not only difficult, but also dangerous.
2. In the ancient civilization of the Incas, it was possible to keep a huge territory under a single control thanks to excellent roads with a well-functioning courier service. The Ina roads were intended for pedestrians and llama caravans; there were distance indicators every 7.2 km, and after 19-29 km there were rest stations for travelers. In addition, courier stations were located every 2.5 km. Couriers (chaskis) transmitted news and orders by relay, and thus information was transmitted over 2000 km in 5 days.
3. In the Ancient Roman Empire, thanks to courier delivery, residents of the country could receive up-to-date information about political events, litigation, scandals, military campaigns and executions. Being an imperial courier was very honorable, and this activity was quite well paid.
4. In Ancient China, the practice was to issue special news sheets, which were then delivered through couriers to various regions of the country. It can be said that courier delivery has been an important part of the public administration system for many centuries.
5. In Ancient Egypt, the most famous courier was Phillipidus, who, according to legend, in 490 BC. brought the message of victory at the Battle of Marathon to Athens. After running about 40 km, he died from exhaustion, but became the founder of marathon running.
6. In the 13th century, the first special service for sending written messages, the so-called Yamskaya Gonba, was organized in Russia - a distinctive Russian institution that existed until the second half of the 19th century.
7. In the 16th century, to record correspondence and increase the personal responsibility of messengers for its safety, special marks began to be made on originals or copies of documents. In the 17th century, these notes became more detailed and contained, in addition to the surname and name of the messenger, the year, month and day of delivery of the correspondence.
8. In 1665, postal and courier routes were organized from Moscow to Riga and in 1669 to Vilnius, which made it possible to exchange correspondence, including private ones, with foreign countries.
9. In Russia, the courier postal service appeared in the 17th century; on November 17, 1710, Peter I signed a decree establishing a special courier route from St. Petersburg to Moscow, which was the prototype of the military field courier service approved by the Decree of Peter I of March 30, 1716.
10. In 1783, uniform tariffs for sending correspondence were introduced in Russia for the first time, depending on its weight and distance.
11. Since 1837, postal and courier items began to be transported by rail in Russia. Russia is one of the first countries to organize such transportation.
12. By the beginning of the 19th century, there were about 460 postal and courier institutions in Russia, where 5 thousand couriers regularly served.
13. In America, the first courier services began to be provided in 1907 by the American company UPS. This company was engaged in the delivery of flowers, postal items and small cargo.
14. In 1946, Ken Thomas founded the TNT shipping company. He placed the main emphasis on the implementation of regular communication between cities. And he brought his innovations: all clients who wanted to make sure the delivery was successful were now given a special certificate signed by the recipient.
15. In 1969, Air delivery first appeared, which made it possible to

The most ancient information about mail dates back to Assyria and Babylon. The Assyrians back in the 3rd millennium BC. used what can be called the predecessor of the envelope. After firing the tablet with the text of the letter, it was covered with a layer of clay on which the recipient’s address was written. Then the tablets were burned again. As a result of the release of water vapor during repeated firing, the letter-plate and the envelope-plate did not become a single piece. The envelope was broken and the letter was read. Two such letters reached contemporaries - together with envelopes they are kept in the Louvre.

4000 YEARS AGO UNKNOWN EGYPTIAN ARTIST ON ONE OF THE WALLS from the burial cave of Pharaoh Numhoten, he painted a warrior holding a scroll in one hand and an open letter in the other hand, which he hands to his superior. This is how material evidence of the existence of mail in those distant times has reached us. We have also received information about postal messages from other ancient peoples. A written message could be passed from one messenger to another without fear of the message being distorted. Carrier pigeons were also used to transport letters.

During the time of Cyrus and Darius in Persia (558-486 BC), postal communication was excellent. At the Persian postal stations, messengers and saddled horses were constantly ready. Mail was passed by messengers in a relay race from one to another.

The ancient Roman post office was also famous, playing a huge role in the management of the vast Roman Empire. In the most important centers of the empire, special stations were maintained, equipped with horse couriers. The Romans used to say Statio posita in… (“The station is located in…”). According to experts, it was from the abbreviation of these words that the word mail (Posta) appeared.

Documented information about the existence of mail in China dates back to ancient times. China's state postal service already existed during the Zhou Dynasty (1027-249 BC). She had messengers on foot and on horseback. The emperors of the Tang dynasty (618-907 BC) already appointed postmaster generals.

In the Arab Caliphate by 750, the entire state was covered with a network of roads along which messengers plied - on foot and on horseback, camels and mules. They delivered government and private mail. The great importance of the state's postal service is evidenced by the famous statement of Caliph Mansur, who founded Baghdad (762). “My throne rests on four pillars, and my power rests on four people: an impeccable qadi (judge), an energetic chief of police, an active minister of finance and a wise postmaster who informs me of everything.”

IN GREECE THE POSTAL SYSTEM WAS QUITE WELL SETUP IN THE VIEW land and sea postal communications, but it could not develop significantly due to the many city-states warring among themselves. Governments, as a rule, had at their disposal foot messengers to convey messages. They were called hemerodromes. The runners covered a distance of 55 stadia (about 10 km) in an hour and 400-500 stadia in one flight.

The most famous of these couriers was Philippides, who, according to Plutarch, in 490 BC. brought news of the victory in the Battle of Marathon to Athens and died of exhaustion. This run was the first marathon in history. Philippides conveyed only an oral message. Already in ancient times, mounted messengers were sent to convey particularly urgent messages. As Diodorus writes, one of the military leaders of Alexander the Great kept messengers - camel riders - at his headquarters.

The Inca states in Peru and the Aztecs in Mexico had regular mail before 1500. The Incan and Aztec mail used only foot messengers. The fact is that horses were brought to South America by European conquerors only in the 16th century. The distance between neighboring stations did not exceed three kilometers. Therefore, it was quickly overcome by the messenger. The peculiarity of the Inca and Aztec mail was that in addition to mail, messengers had to deliver fresh fish to the emperor's table. Fish was delivered from the coast to the capital within 48 hours (500 km). Rate the speed of delivery. Modern mail is hardly faster, although it has cars, trains, and planes at its disposal. During the heyday of the Mayan culture, there was also a developed messenger service, but little is known about it.

Both in antiquity and in the Middle Ages, mail served only rulers and high officials. Other segments of the population did not use mail.

For ordinary people and international relations

Meanwhile, ordinary people also wanted to use mail for their own purposes. At first, their messages were transmitted privately through merchants, wandering monks and university mail messengers. The rapid development of crafts and trade in feudal Europe contributed to the organization of regular postal exchange between cities.

THERE ARE DOCUMENTS CONFIRMING THE PRESENCE OF CITY MESSENGERS already in the 14th century. The most famous is the postal service of the Hanseatic League. Hansa is a trade and political union of North German cities in the 14th-17th centuries. With the entry into the Hanseatic League of the Rhine, the first postal network arose, which, bypassing the borders of cities and small principalities, delivered mail throughout Germany. Further, through Nuremberg, mail went to Italy and Venice, and through Leipzig - to Prague, Vienna and other cities. This is how international mail arose.

The next notable achievement is the postal service of the noble family of Thurn and Taxis. The first mention of the Thurn und Taxis post dates back to 1451, when Roger Taxis established a courier line through the Tyrol and Steyermark. Further, the descendants of the Taxis house make a rapid career in the postal department.

In 1501, Franz Taxis became postmaster general of the Netherlands. Until the beginning of the 16th century. The Taxis postal service was built on the basis of feudal privileges to the Taxis house. The postal business became profitable, and Taxis began to have competitors. First of all, this is the city post office. In 1615, another Taxis-Lamoral became imperial postmaster general. By imperial decree, this position was declared lifelong and hereditary for the Taxis family. By the way, the Taxis added the prefix “Turn” to their surname in 1650, receiving it as a grant from the king. Lamoral Taxis, the new postmaster general, was forced to ask the emperor to issue a new decree against additional posts and additional lines served by messengers. All this marked the beginning of the struggle between the Thurn and Taxis post office and its competitors, which lasted for centuries. Taxis Post survived and won. Accuracy, speed and honesty - this was the motto of the Thurn and Taxis post office, which was strictly observed in practice. For the first time, merchants and bankers, ordinary people and government officials could be sure that letters, documents, money would quickly reach the addressee, and they would soon receive an answer.

In 1850, Thurn and Taxis joined the German-Austrian alliance. By that time, postage stamps had already been issued in many countries. The rules of the German-Austrian Postal Union provided for the obligation for its members to issue postage stamps. That is why, on January 1, 1852, the first Thurn and Taxis postage stamps were issued. In total, Thurn and Taxis issued 54 postage stamps. This post office also issued stamped envelopes. The postal history of Thurn and Taxis only ends in 1867, when Prussia acquired the rights to all postal facilities of the house of Thurn and Taxis.

Postman is a dangerous profession

In the seventeenth century. Sweden had become a great power and there was a need for regular communication with its possessions across the Baltic Sea. The first postmen were royal couriers. The correspondence was then delivered by so-called postal peasants. They lived near the main roads, were exempt from various kinds of duties, for example, military, but were obliged to transport state mail.

USUALLY THEY SENT A WORKER, WHO RUNNED BLOCKING A HORN, 20-30 kilometers to a neighbor. Having handed over his mail and receiving another in exchange, he went home. If the letters were late, he faced punishment. Correspondence was also delivered by sea, for example, by boat from Sweden to the Åland Islands and further to Finland and St. Petersburg. The "postal peasants" worked all year round, regardless of the weather. The crossing was especially dangerous in the spring and autumn, when they either dragged the boat across the ice, then set the sails, or took up the oars. Many people died during the storm.

Russian mail is one of the oldest in Europe. The first mention of it in chronicles dates back to the 10th century. In Kievan Rus there was a duty of the population called "cart". This duty consisted of the need to provide horses for the prince's messengers and his servants.

However, a clear postal service in Russia appeared only under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The organizer of the “correct” postal race in Russia was the head of the then Russian government, boyar Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin (1605-1681). He is also the initiator of the creation of foreign mail in Russia (postal line Moscow - Vilna).

Since 1677, an international postal service began to operate in Russia. The first lines of public mail went beyond the borders of the Russian state to “German” countries - that’s what Russian people called the lands where they spoke incomprehensible “dumb” languages. In addition to international mail, the German Post also delivered merchant letters and government papers throughout Russia. Thanks to the “German Post,” the postal service established correspondence exchange points and introduced rules to ensure regular mail delivery.

The prototype of the mailbox we are used to is the Florentine vestibules - public mailboxes that were installed near the walls of churches and cathedrals; the first mailbox was installed in the 17th century. in France.

Based on materials livejournal prepared by Zara GEVORGYAN

The most powerful state formation of the ancient world, of course, is Ancient Rome. This city not only subjugated the Apennine Peninsula, but also spread its possessions over a vast territory: from Britain to North Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula to Syria.
Capital connection with remote provinces became an urgent necessity for Rome.

For this purpose, an unprecedented network of high-quality, stone-paved roads was built. Their total length already at the time of Gaius Julius Caesar was 150 thousand kilometers.
By the way, the catchphrase " All roads lead to Rome" is not as metaphorical as it seems at first glance. The oldest and widest roads really converged like rays in the capital of the empire. It was along these roads that legions from Rome went to war or to suppress rebellions.

The Appian Way, preserved to this day.

Although the basics of regular state post office It was laid down by Julius Caesar, and it acquired its canonical form under Augustus. It was he who united all the routes into a single network, which was called " kursus publis". This mail was controlled personally by the emperor and was intended exclusively for state needs. Government officials managing the post office were required to have a “diploma” - a document certifying their services to the state. In the provinces postal service was controlled by governors, and its maintenance fell entirely on the shoulders of the local population, which was supposed to supply mail carts, horses and riders.

Foot messengers were called " tablelariums". Insignia Roman couriers became a headdress, first decorated with feathers and then with stylized wings. After all, he wore a similar winged helmet Mercury- messenger of the gods and patron of trade.

Urgent messages were delivered by horse messengers, and valuable government cargo was transported on carts. Mounted messengers called "beredos" - from the Persian word "berd", meaning "animal of burden".
Not all Roman provinces could be reached by land, and in this case for mail transportation used ships

“Suddenly today we have ships from Alexandria, which usually go ahead and announce the arrival of the fleet following them. That’s why they are also called mail ships.”

The main advantage " kursus publis"There was a well-established system of road post stations.
The stations were divided into two categories. The so-called "mancios" were well-appointed inns, painted red. Here the messengers were offered not only lodging and food, but also an extensive network of services. The “Mancio” was run by a chief manceps, under whose leadership were the “stationarius” (stable keepers), “hippocomas” (grooms), “mulions” (mule drivers), “mulomedicus” (veterinarians) and “carpentarii” (cart keepers).
It is believed that it is from the Latin expression "mansio posita in..." ("A station located at a point") subsequently the modern concept " post" - "mail".
In addition, between the two "mancios" there were 6-8 intermediate small stations - "mutatsio", which served primarily for changing horses.

“Cursus Publique”, reconstruction by L. Burger.

To ensure traffic safety, the Romans set up military camps along important routes, which at the same time also served as a construction battalion - i.e. repaired the roads.
At busy intersections, special walls even appeared, playing the role of original newspapers. Everyone wrote whatever they wanted on them - from news and announcements to epigrams and love notes like “Mark loves Elena.” No wonder some joker wrote the following on one of these walls: “I am surprised at you, wall, how you don’t collapse, continuing to carry so many trashy inscriptions.”.

About how effective it was" kursus publis"is evidenced by the following fact. If Julius Caesar, constantly changing horses, could cover no more than 100 miles a day, then Emperor Tiberius, using the services postal service, moved twice as fast. As a result, the rulers of the Roman Empire received fresh news quite regularly.

But private correspondence was prohibited through state mail. Therefore, the wealthiest of Roman citizens had their own messengers from among the slaves. Such a speedboat could travel about 70 km per day. If the message had to be sent over a long distance, then it was transmitted through traders or traveling acquaintances. True, such messages arrived much slower than government messages. There is a known case of a certain Augustus (not the emperor) got a letter only nine years later.

Seneca, from Letters to Lucilius:
“I received your letter only many months after it was sent. Therefore, I considered it unnecessary to ask the person who delivered it about your life.”

Unfortunately, the achievements of the Romans were forgotten for a long time, after the empire fell under the onslaught of the barbarians, and Europe plunged into the “dark ages” for a long time. Decline postal service was so strong that even in the 16th century the messenger moved one and a half times slower than roman courier during the heyday" kursus publis".

Interestingly, the terminology of the hospitality industry owes a lot to the Romans. And here they also contributed to the development of many civilizations. The word hospitality comes from the Latin hospitium. The same root words are host (owner), hospice (shelter), hotel (hotel, hotel). Hospitalists - this is what people were called in antiquity, together with their family, who received guests in their home. With the hosts, the foreign state entered into an alliance of mutual assistance, friendship and protection.

After the introduction of regular state postal service (during the time of Emperor Octavian from 63 BC), state inns also appeared. The state established courtyards in cities and on the main roads along which couriers and civil servants traveled from Rome all the way to Asia Minor or to Gaul Batalova L.V. From the history of tourism development, Sat. scientific articles. Vol. Izhevsk, 1999, - 148 pp.

State inns were created, located at a distance of one day's ride on horseback from each other. As new territories were conquered and the Roman Empire expanded, its customs, economic and organizational structures also spread to new provinces and conquered countries. The fact of the special interest of the state testifies to how seriously the reliability of an institution that provided travelers with shelter, food and overnight accommodation was considered in ancient times. Thus, the code of Roman laws provided for the responsibility of such an establishment for the guest’s belongings. It was then that the opportunity arose to safely spend the night in the inn. Even today, the legislation of a number of states regulates this issue, based on the above provisions of Roman civil law. After all, protecting guests in all countries is one of the main goals of the hotel business.

Merchants, merchants and other common people could never be accommodated next to government officials and government messengers. This circumstance affected the quality of the inns. Those in which representatives of the aristocracy and government officials stayed were built according to all the rules of architectural art and offered a wide range of services for those times. Subsequently, Marco Polo said that at such inns “it is not shameful for a king to stop.” Polo Marco. Book of Marco Polo. M.: Geographgiz, 1956..

Taverns and inns, designed to serve lower-class citizens, offered minimal conditions for overnight accommodation and recreation. For example, very often travelers simply slept on straw, and in order not to freeze in the cold season, they snuggled up to the warm side of their horse. There was no talk of any additional comfort. The organization of the hotel business in the Roman Empire was based on a certain classification of hotels developed by the state authorities. There were two types of hotels: only for patricians (mansiones), the other for plebeians (stabularia).

The Roman hotel was a certain complex of premises with a fairly wide functional purpose: these were not only rooms for accommodating travelers, but also warehouses, stables, shops, workshops, etc. Hotels, as a rule, were built of stone and had the necessary list of services. In winter they were heated. Some hotels served only officials with special documents issued by government authorities. This tradition has been preserved to this day in the form of special rooms for VIPs at airports, train stations and other places where tourists stay.

With the improvement of the functioning of postal services in the second half of the 4th century, when for a long time it combined the needs for transport and sending news, visiting yards were established along the roads. They were called "mancio" and "stazio". The first of these terms meant a visiting yard in which there were conditions for accommodating the imperial retinue, the second meant a traffic police post.

Later, the leveling of these inns took place. Between the mansio and stazio there were inns of lesser importance, or mutacio (places where the horse team changes), in which the most urgent needs of travelers could be satisfied: something to eat, to spend the night, to replace mounts or pack animals.

The distance between two mansios depended on the nature of the terrain, but on average it was 40-55 km. Between two mansios there could be one or two smaller visiting yards, and this depended not only on the area, but also on its population.

Such inns differed from each other in the volume and quality of their services, ranging from a praetorium, in which the imperial retinue could be received, to modest institutions. A fully equipped inn could offer almost everything a traveler needed. Here one could eat, spend the night, change riding animals (in the stables of large visiting yards there were up to forty horses and mules), carts, drivers, find servants, people who returned draft animals to the previous station, veterinarians, coachmen and wheelwrights repairing damaged carriages Kotler F., Bowen J., Makens J. Marketing. Hospitality and tourism /Trans. from English - M.: UNITY, 1998..

Inns and visiting yards and postal stations were not built specifically for these purposes; they served not only the following travelers, although they certainly had priority in service. The post office, despite the fact that it served mainly the central government, was maintained by local residents. The emperors simply selected pre-existing inns of the quality required for the service and included them in the system, requiring free overnight accommodation for each diploma holder.

Only in remote areas, such as on passes or on secluded roads, was the imperial power forced to build everything from the very foundation. In such places, all travelers, private individuals, as well as representatives of official authorities were accepted for an overnight stay in order to compensate for expenses. Carts, animals, drivers, grooms - everyone was recruited for service there from the local surroundings, if possible. From that time on, people began to appear who worked in inns. Inns, especially on the main roads, were built by the Romans with skill and were quite comfortable for their time.

Over time, the maintenance of a visiting yard became burdensome for its manager, since with the development of society and civilization, the demands on it constantly increased. They were presented not only by those who had the right to use the visiting yard by law, but also by those officials without conscience who arbitrarily confiscated horses and carriages or brazenly brought with them to the visiting yards people who did not have the right to free service. Special inspectors (curiosi, kursus, publici) checked the legality of using diplomas after their expiration date, traveling on a route other than the one that the person presenting the document should have followed, and using a different type of mount than those used by those passing through.

Emperors, one after another, issued strict laws to stop abuses and keep service at visiting courts at an appropriate level.

There were regulations regarding the number of carts and animals that could be used by officials, determining the maximum permitted load, the number of drivers, travel routes, the weight of saddles and packs, even the size and type of whips. One injunction stated that “no one will reward any driver, charioteer or veterinarian serving in a public establishment, because they receive food and clothing that is enough for them.” In other words, it was forbidden to give “tips” to these employees. Instructions not to give them were rarely carried out, and all indications are that these orders were not carried out properly.

Each person using the post office had to know exactly where the various inns were located. Available to travelers were itinerariums, which listed visiting yards along a given road and the distances between them.

There were also conventional maps, from which one could find out not only where the inn was located, but also what could be offered there. A copy of one such map, made in the Middle Ages, the so-called Peitinger table, reached the Renaissance period. It was drawn on a long sheet of parchment, 33 cm wide and 6.7 cm long. It is extremely inaccurate in cartographical terms, but represents the roads of the entire Roman Empire in a way that can be easily read. It contains information similar to that which can be found on a modern automobile map: lines indicating roads, names of cities and large villages and other places where you can stop; numbers indicating the distances between them in Roman miles. It is interesting to note that many of the names have small colored drawings - symbols. They served the same purpose as the surprisingly similar symbols in modern guidebooks. They had to indicate at first glance what the possibilities were for spending the next night while following this road Shapoval G.D. History of tourism. Minsk, IP, "Enoperspective" - ​​1999, - 216 p.

Names without accompanying drawings denoted the simplest guest house, which could provide little more than water, a roof over one's head, food and a fresh change of mounts.

For example, a traveler, leaving Rome along the Aurelian Way, leading north along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, could learn from the map that the first suitable place to stay would be Alsium, eighteen Roman miles from the capital, with a minimum of amenities (there was no picture at the name), from there it was ten miles to Pyrgi with a minimum of amenities, then it was six miles to Punic, where there were also few amenities, but from there it was a stone's throw to Aqua Apollinaris with a first-rate hotel (indicated by a quadrangular building), from there it was four miles to Aqua Tauri with the same amenities, as in Aquas of Apollinaris, etc.

Government messengers hurried from station to station at an average speed of five miles per hour, or fifty Roman miles during a normal day's travel. Thus, news from Rome reached Brundisium in seven days, to Byzantium - about 25 days, to Antioch - about 40 days, to Alexandria - about 55 days. In exceptional cases, moving day and night, messengers could triple this speed. When in 69 AD. e. in Moguntiak above the Rhine (now Mainz, Germany) the legions rebelled, news of this reached Rome within 8-9 days. The messenger in such cases covered an average of 150 Roman miles per day. The traveler, who was given government assignments, counted on the conveniences provided by the public post and had few worries. He presented his diploma at a nearby inn and received the appropriate means of transportation, looked at his list of stations or a map for appropriate stopping places along his route, ate there, spent the night, changed teams and crews until he arrived at his destination. Officially, persons traveling privately were not allowed to use the mail, but human nature being what it is, exceptions were inevitable.

Those who traveled privately and could not legally or illegally use government mail had the opportunity to find overnight accommodation in visiting inns and shelters, since in many provinces they were the only, and in some areas, the best inns. Moreover, if he did not travel in a carriage with his own team, he could hire one, which was quite accessible to someone who was going to travel not on foot, but with the help of vehicles. If, along the open road, he reached the postal station just after the official party, which had requisitioned everything that the station had at its disposal, he had no choice but to wait. In any case, he moved slower than the government messenger.

Already in the 3rd century. BC. The builders of Rome erected tall apartment buildings - insula - to accommodate both the city's growing population and visitors. These were three-, four-, and sometimes five-story buildings with a wooden frame. In Rome, the insulae were inhabited by both the poor and the middle class of townspeople; Rich people lived in mansions. In such a multi-storey building, individual rooms or entire floors were rented out. In the Roman port of Ostia, where the lack of space was especially acute, everyone lived in multi-story insulae (the remains of a number of not only well-appointed insulae, but also decorated with frescoes and reliefs, have survived). In other cities where there was enough space for construction (such as Pompeii), the insula was not erected at all, houses with a garden or mansions were built. Hundreds of cities in Rome had aqueducts - water pipes that supplied water to the city. As a rule, aqueducts were monumental structures on arched supports. The longest aqueduct - 132 km - was built under Emperor Hadrian in Carthage. At the same time, houses appeared - lupanaria (brothels) Shapoval G.D. History of tourism. Minsk, IP, "Enoperspective" - ​​1999, - 216 p..

Some wealthy landowners also built inns on the borders of their properties. They were usually run by slaves who specialized in housekeeping. Those inns and taverns that were located closer to the cities were more often visited by wealthy citizens, and therefore they were maintained by freedmen or retired gladiators who decided to invest their savings in the “restaurant business.” Innkeepers in those days were deprived of many civil rights, including the right to serve in the army, bring cases against someone in court, take an oath, and act as guardians of other people's children. In other words, the moral standards of any person involved in this business were automatically called into question.

In ancient times, and even in the Middle Ages, a messenger (as couriers were called in those days) who delivered a message with bad news was often threatened with death. Such messengers were often executed - remember from Pushkin in “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”: “In anger, he began to perform miracles / And he ordered the messenger to be hanged.” Just 150-200 years ago, delivery times for letters and parcels even within one country like Russia could be measured in years. If the letter was in transit for less than 6 months, it was considered that it arrived very quickly.


Today, the courier service in Russia is established at the highest level and among all others, the delivery of parcels in St. Petersburg “Express Tochka Ru” stands out - this company has proven itself at the highest level - saving time and money.

Organization of the postal service in the Inca country
Before its death as a result of the conquistador invasion, the Inca civilization occupied a vast territory in South America. One of the main achievements of this civilization is considered to be an excellently organized courier service at an accessible technical level. The Inca country had an extensive road network, and the roads were well equipped. Every 7.2 km there was always a sign with information about the distance to the nearest city; after 19-29 km there were special stations intended for travelers to relax. Specialized courier stations were located very often: at intervals of 2.5 km. Inca couriers (“chaskis”) delivered their cargo (sometimes these were oral messages) by relay race: upon arriving at the station, the tired courier handed over his load to the rested one, who immediately continued on his way. This process lasted around the clock. Thus, dispatches were delivered over distances of up to 2 thousand km. for a period of less than 5 days.


The relay principle was borrowed and implemented in many countries. Thus, in the developed part of Russia in the 17th-20th centuries, there was an extensive network of postal stations, where government couriers, as well as other persons traveling on government business, could rest and/or exchange tired horses for fresh ones.

Ancient courier services
In Ancient Rome, courier delivery was very high quality. It was thanks to her that residents of remote provinces could learn about the news relatively quickly. The position of state (during the Republic) and later, imperial courier was very prestigious and highly paid.

Even in ancient times, China was a centralized state with a developed governance structure. Naturally, he also could not do without an organized courier service. It was in China that they first began to produce special sheets of paper with summaries of important news, which were delivered by couriers to all parts of the Celestial Empire.

Perhaps the most famous courier of the ancient world is the Greek Phillipides, who delivered news of the victory over the Persian army in the Battle of Marathon to Athens. Having run 42 km, 195 m, without rest, from the battlefield to the central square of Athens, he shouted “Rejoice! We whitewashed it!” and fell dead. It was in his honor that competitions in the discipline “Marathon running” were introduced into the program of the Olympic Games, which are still held today.

Organization of postal and courier services in Russia
The first specialized service for the delivery of written correspondence was organized in Rus' back in the 13th century. It was called “Yamskaya persecution” and was a very original purely Russian institution, which, not without changes, continued to exist almost until the end of the 19th century. The coachman profession was one of the most widespread.


From the 16th century In order to improve accounting and introduce the personal responsibility of the messenger for the safety and timely delivery of correspondence, special “marks” began to be placed on the packaging of documents, which became prototypes of a postmark. Since the 17th century Such notes indicated the personal details of the messenger and the date of delivery of the document.

In 1665, the Moscow-Riga postal and courier route was laid, and 4 years later a similar route to Vilnius. This is how regular postal communication with Europe was organized for the first time.

On November 17, 1710, Peter I signed a decree on the organization of a specialized courier route Moscow - St. Petersburg. And 6 years later, 30.03. In 1716, the same Peter I approved the All-Russian Military Field Courier Service.

Since 1783, uniform postal delivery rates began to operate in Russia. The price was determined taking into account the weight of the item and the distance to the recipient.

Since 1837, railways began to be used to transport mail in Russia. Moreover, Russia was one of the first states where rail postal transportation was put on a regular basis.

At the beginning of the 19th century. The Russian postal and courier service consisted of approximately 460 institutions, and the total number of couriers serving in them was 5 thousand people.

IN THE USA
The first regular delivery services for small cargo (including flowers), as well as mail in the United States, began to be provided by UPS in 1907.
Since 1946, the TNT company, created by K. Thomas, began to provide its services. It was this company that established regular intercity mail service. Among Thomas's innovations was the introduction of return delivery services, where the sender received from the company a certificate of delivery of his item, signed by the recipient.
Since 1969, airplanes have been regularly used for courier deliveries. It was from this moment that courier delivery service companies could begin to cover the entire world with their activities, rather than individual regions.