Picture this - you're the leader of the Seleukid empire and it's approximately 220BC (esentially the reign of Antiochos III Magas). How was the administration of the Seleukid Empire done? How were the logistics carried out?
The example of the Seleukid empire is given because it stretched from Antiocheia (on the Orontes) to Antiocheia-Margiane and beyond, to even Baktria. That's a huge place to govern, hence the question of administration and logistics. How was the administration handled? How were the logistics done?
How would Antiochos Magas issue an order to his eastermost armies from his base in Antiocheia? A royal courier would most likely be the choice to send his orders, but travelling half a continent in 220BC wasn't exactly the fastest way of relaying news, command orders and supplies. It would perhaps take at least a month, maybe two, until the royal courier would arrive and relay the orders of Antiochos. From there, the courier would have to return to Antiocheia to relay the news from the commanders dealing with the Parthians. The Seleukids did have the advantage of the Persian Royal Road that would have greatly sped up the couriers and allowed for a more efficient way of dispensing with news, orders and the such, but that would still be rather slow given how much battle was being done against the Parthians, the Baktrians and the rest of the satrapies that rebelled against central Seleukid rule.
On the other hand, it would have been faster to reach Ephesus/Sardes/Pergamon due to it's closer proximity, but that would still have required at least two-three weeks of constant travel.
All of this would have required a very dedicated team of couriers, and a large one at that, which would have been very necessary particularly in the times of Alexander the Great as he advanced in his campaign.
Was this relaying of orders/logistics done just through royal couriers? Or were there other methods to more efficiently administer such an empire?
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