History glossary
satrapies
large provinces or administrative regions governed for the Persian king.
- Category
- Administrative term
- Region
- Persian Empire
- Date range
- Achaemenid period
What it means
Satrapies were large provincial units of the Achaemenid Empire. They helped the Great King organize tribute, order, military obligations, and local administration across a vast and diverse realm.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Persian Empire
From Cyrus the Great to Alexander's conquest, the Achaemenid Persian Empire turned regional kingship into a vast realm held together by conquest, roads, tribute, local cooperation, and royal power.
Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic World
From Philip II's military reforms to the fall of the last Hellenistic kingdom, this story follows Alexander's conquests, the wars of his successors, and the spread of Greek culture across the ancient Near East.
