Literary notes about Satrap (AI summary)
In literature, the term satrap is often used to evoke images of powerful provincial governors whose authority is both political and martial. Authors employ the word to highlight a spectrum of governance—from valiant patriotism and noble sacrifice [1] to the treacherous intrigues and bureaucratic intrigues that shape the fate of empires [2, 3]. The satrap appears in narratives as a figure who not only commands armies and administers vast territories—as seen when strategic decisions intertwine with personal ambition [4, 5]—but also as a more mundane representative of local power, interacting with envoys or even being comforted in intimate social settings [6, 7]. This dual role of the satrap as both emblem of imperial authority and agent of regional affairs underscores its versatility as a literary symbol.
- Themistocles saved Greece and died a Satrap: I am bred one, let me reverse our lots, and die at least a patriot.”
— from The Rise of Iskander by Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield - At the worst Caesar is a usurper, a satrap claiming to be sovereign; at the best he is provisional.
— from God, the Invisible King by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells - This satrap whom you have educated for greatness, what will become of him in his degradation?
— from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - His son and successor, Xerxes, turned first to Egypt and set up a Persian satrap there; then for four years he prepared a second attack upon Greece.
— from The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells - The leader of the resisting princes was appointed satrap by the Persians.
— from Armenian Legends and Poems - The friends supped together at the satrap's table and then retired to Bartja's private room, in order to enjoy an undisturbed conversation.
— from The Historical Romances of Georg Ebers by Georg Ebers - And here is Tobiah, the Satrap of the Ammonites, who is now honored with rooms in our temple, much to the grievance of Ezra.
— from A King of Tyre: A Tale of the Times of Ezra and Nehemiah by James M. (James Meeker) Ludlow
