History glossary
satraps
provincial governors who ruled parts of the Persian Empire in the king's name.
- Category
- Administrative role
- Region
- Persian Empire
- Date range
- Achaemenid period
What it means
Satraps were provincial governors in the Achaemenid system. They collected tribute, kept order, supervised local elites, and answered to royal authority, though their power could make them politically dangerous.
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.
