Institution

Satrapy

Also known as satrap, satrapal

A satrapy was a province of the Achaemenid Empire governed by a satrap, a royal governor responsible for taxation, security and administration. Darius I organised the empire into satrapies assessed for fixed tribute. The system was adopted by the Macedonian Empire and its successors such as the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires, and the title was also used by the Shaka satraps of western India mentioned in the Gupta Empire profile.

Satrapy
Image: Georges Jansoone User: JoJan · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 14 profiles

Achaemenid EmpireSocioeconomy, Governance, Impact, DeclineGupta EmpireMilitaryMacedonian EmpireSocioeconomy, GovernanceParthian EmpireFoundationPtolemaic EmpireFoundationSeleucid EmpireFoundation, Socioeconomy, GovernanceSakaGovernance, ImpactKushan EmpireGovernanceEphesusGovernanceMiletusDeclineSamosGovernance, SummaryKingdom of LydiaDecline, SummarySatavahana dynastyMilitary, Governance, Decline, SummarySanskritSpeakers

Mentioned in 16 state histories

Kingdom of LydiaPerinthusKingdom of CiliciaKingdom of Armenia (Orontid)Achaemenid EgyptHecatomnid CariaThirty-first Dynasty of EgyptKingdom of CappadociaMedia AtropateneKingdom of LysimachusGreco-Bactrian KingdomIndo-Scythiansand 4 more

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Satrapy. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/satrapy
MLA
“Satrapy.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/satrapy. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Satrapy.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/satrapy.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Satrapy’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/satrapy (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻