satrap
Other forms: satraps
A governor of an ancient Persian province was called a satrap. These areas ruled by satraps were called "satrapies."
The Persian emperor Cyrus the Great first chose satraps to rule individual provinces, around 530 BCE. Each satrap controlled a specific amount of land, collecting taxes and maintaining law and order. The word satrap continued to be used in various places, including India and East Asia, to refer to local rulers. The word comes from the Latin satrapes, with the Old Persian root xšathrapavan, "guardian of the realm," from xšathra-, "realm," and pavan-, "guardian."
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a governor of a province in ancient Persiatype of:governorthe head of a state government
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a subordinate ruler or official, often with significant local control
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Vocabulary lists containing satrap
This vocabulary list will take you back to the Bronze Age! Learn all about the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations that developed between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. You'll explore the politics, religious traditions, and agricultural practices of the region, as well as the ancient writing known as cuneiform and structures like the stele and the ziggurat.
This vocabulary list will take you back to the Bronze Age! Learn all about the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations that developed between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. You'll explore the politics, religious traditions, and agricultural practices of the region, as well as the ancient writing known as cuneiform and structures like the stele and the ziggurat.
