纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 026奥克瑟斯战车模型（4）

Which brings us back to our golden toy - because the passenger in our chariot must be a satrap on tour. He sports a stylishly patterned overcoat - he's obviously spent a great deal of money on it - and his headdress leaves you in no doubt that this is a man who is used to being in charge. His chariot is made for serious travel: the large-spoked wheels are as high as the horses themselves, and are clearly designed for long distances.

Nothing tells you more about a state than its transport system (you need think no further than modern Britain), and so our chariot tells us a great deal about imperial Persia. Public order was so secure that people could travel long distances without armed guards. And they could travel fast. With its horses specially bred for strength and speed, and with its large, steadying wheels, this chariot was the Ferrari or the Porsche of its time. Broad dirt roads were kept wheel-worthy in all weathers, and there were frequent staging posts. Commands from the centre could be transmitted at speed across the whole territory, thanks to an entirely reliable royal postal service that employed horsemen, runners and express messengers. Foreign visitors were deeply impressed, among them the Greek historian Herodotus:

"There is nothing in the world which travels faster than these Persian couriers ... it is said that men and horses are stationed along the road, equal in number to the number of days the journey takes - a man and a horse for each day. Nothing stops these couriers from covering their allotted stage in the quickest possible time - neither snow, rain, heat, nor darkness." (Herodotus, History VIII. 98)