Western Civilization I / Unit 3 WC1 0218 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Satraps, the Royal Road, and the King of Kings
Captions available
The idea
Darius divided the empire into twenty satrapies, each satrap paired with a general and watched by the king's eyes and ears. The Royal Road ran from western Anatolia to Susa, the anchor's sixteen hundred miles in a week.
In practice
Standard coins, weights and law; Susa and Persepolis; the Immortals.
Where people slip
No standing army beyond the Immortals. Mobilizing levies took up to two years.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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