PERSIAN SATRAPS

Satrapies were created by Cyrus, King of Persia, as a means of administering his empire, which was the greatest in history to that point. Each Satrapy was ruled by a Satrap, whose title literally meant "protector of the kingdom". As successor to a former king, ruling an enormous territory, he was in fact himself a monarch and was surrounded by a court.

The Satraps had the power to levy taxes, act as a judge in criminal matters, raise armies, and anything else that a king of that era would do.

Satraps minted the first coins with portraits of a living person circa 400 B.C. Either Pharnabazus or Tissaphernes probably minted the first coins with a portrait. I am including, in my museum, coins of the following satraps: