Changes

The next major change to roads was the development of the "royal roads" or official government roads that connected very distant towns. This idea developed in the Middle Assyrian and Neo-Assyrian period, from the late 2nd millennium BCE and early 1st millennium BCE. These roads were roads the government had authority over and to utilize them one had to have official permission, unlike normal roads that were considered as common space.<ref>For evidence of such royal roads, see: Altaweel, Mark; 2003. "The roads of Ashur and Nineveh," Akkadica 124: 205-212.</ref> The idea of these roads was for developing rapid transport to connect distant places of an empire or large statefor military purposes. Unlike many early roads connecting towns, these long-distance royal roads developed to be more linear or straight, as speed was the primary goal of these roads. Such roads became particularly important as horses developed as the primary transport option for military purposes as well as messengers. Royal roads also helped develop the concept of highways, where a type of road would bypass local roads and help those moving on these roads to more quickly move without going through each city or town along the way. Major nodes or towns, rather than small cities or towns, became the focus in royal roads. Inns and rest places developed as such long-distance roads became important features for large empires. In effect, unlike earlier roads, the growing state needed to create systems of communication that was rapid. Royal roads became the chief vehicle for this along with horses.<ref>For more on the infrastructure in relation to royal roads, see: Briant, P. (2002). From Cyrus to Alexander: a history of the Persian Empire. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, pg. 364.</ref>

Although royal roads proved to be useful for military purposes, as armies after the Assyrian Assyrians began to adopt such roads, it also led to the development of long-distance trade along secure roadways. In part, long-distance roads helped to spawn the developing Silk Road connecting trade between China and Europe (Figure 1). The long-term legacy of royal roads that allowed armies to move quickly were later adopted by various armies.<ref>For more on how long-distance roads benefited trade, see: Bakhtia, L. M., & Bariand, P. (2011). Afghanistan’s blue treasure lapis lazuli.</ref> The modern highway system created in the United States and other countries reflect the concept of rapid movement along large distances by the military, showing that the concepts born in the Iron Age continued to be adopted even by more modern transport. In effect, highways were always seen as initially being for the military above all, but benefits of rapid movement also led to trade thriving along their routes, similar to highways today.