Procopius claimed that a message entrusted to the system could cover ten times the distance of an individual in a single day. The cursus publicus was hailed for its efficiency, at least until Justinian got his hands on it. It is hard to think of another historian who applies such a scientific approach to ancient history Every bit as scandal-filled as Donna Tartt’s classic campus novel of the same name, it describes life in the court of Justinian, Byzantine emperor from AD 527 to 565, but digresses brilliantly on the intricacies of the Roman postal service. If you’ve ever wondered how letters were delivered in the ancient world, you could do worse than to read Procopius’s Secret History. To get the full magazine why not subscribe? Right now we’re offering five issue for just £10. This article is taken from the March 2022 issue of The Critic.
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