Queen Palmyra, whose exploits are still talked about today, conquered Egypt, captured the Roman provinces and almost transformed her kingdom into an empire equal to Rome.
Wealth, culture and power prevailed in Palmyra in the third century AD. This cosmopolitan capital of the Roman province of the same name was located near the eastern borders of the empire, providing space for the ambitious power of Queen Zenobia.
By the middle of the third century, the Roman Empire was mired in a political and economic crisis. Its borders were under constant attack, and its center in the struggle for survival. The changes that the Empire experienced in that period in terms of institutions, society, economic life and religion were so profound, that the Crisis of the 3rd century is generally interpreted as a hint of change of the era, ie. a hint of the arrival of the Middle Ages.
During that period, the rebellious Gallic Empire in Europe began to separate from Rome. Weakened and scattered, the Roman Empire faced threats from all sides. Looking at it all from the east, Zenobia saw an opportunity to conquer the kingdom.
Palmyra had a history of cooperation with Roman rule, which resulted in numerous advantages for the desert kingdom. Located in the middle of today's Syria, about 130 kilometers northeast of Damascus, Palmyra has prospered a lot since it came under Roman control in the first century. Located at the crossroads between the Mediterranean world ruled by the Roman Empire and the great empires of Asia, Palmyra became a center of great strategic and economic importance.
The caravan routes that led from the fertile Levant to the mighty Mesopotamia crossed right across Palmyra, bringing it wealth and providing its rulers with the means to beautify the city, as well as the confidence to assert themselves at the regional level. Known as the Pearl of the Desert, Palmyra was famous for its magnificent buildings, such as the Triumphal Arch and the impressive theater. By the middle of the third century, the Palmyra Empire enjoyed some independence - albeit as a state within the Roman Empire. Zenobia tried to change that ...
Over the centuries, Zenobia's life story has been the subject of numerous speculations. In the vivid but unreliable "Imperial Tales", a collection of biographies of Roman emperors, it is stated that Zenobia connected herself with the Ptolemaic kingdom, including Cleopatra. Eastern historians, such as the Persian Al-Tabari, believed that Zenobia was not of Greek but of Arab origin. Modern historians agree that Queen Palmyra was not descended from Ptolemy and that she most likely came from an influential Palmyra family in which she acquired a very higher education.
In his book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, the British historian Edward Gibbon described Zenobia in detail:
"Zenobia was highly valued and was considered both the most beautiful and the bravest woman of her time. Not only did she have a knowledge of Latin, but she was fluent in Syriac, Greek and Egyptian. "
Zenobia married Odent, ruler of Palmyra and founder of the Palmyra Empire. Reigning since 263, Odenat successfully defended Palmyra from the Persians. Remaining loyal to Rome - at least from the outside - Odenat managed to break through the Persian borders and force them to withdraw to their territory.
Odenat claimed from the very beginning that he was playing on the side of Rome, but it soon became clear that he only wanted to become the "monarch of the East". Given Rome's weak position, the new emperor of the Roman Empire - Valerian's son, Gallienus - had no choice but to grant Odenatus a powerful status. Odenat was also crowned as "king of all kings" by his own people. Palmyra might have become the capital of the new empire, but it did not happen. Odenat's dreams were shattered in 267 - after returning from a campaign against the Goths in Cappadocia, a cousin killed him in his palace.
Then came Zenobia's five minutes. The son she got married to Odenat, Vabalatius (Latin in Latin), was logically supposed to inherit her father, but he was still a child. Zenobia proclaimed herself regent, which enabled her to control the territories in the east that had been taken over by the Persians shortly before.
Zenobia knew how to take advantage of the moment of weakness of the Roman Empire. She despised Emperor Gallienus and his generals who were unable to stop her. When the next Roman emperor, Claudius II the Gothic, came to power, he had no choice but to recognize the sovereignty of Zenobia. Zenobia thus achieved its goal - Palmyra became equal to Rome.
Keeping the Persians in the Gulf to the east, Zenobia annexed many neighboring states, including all of Syria and much of Anatolia (present-day Turkey). In 269, she sent her forces to Egypt and took over Alexandria. By 270, it had taken control of all of Egypt. Her empire seemed unstoppable ...
However, the next Roman emperor, Aurelian, was a very different opponent. Taking power in 270, Aurelian had rigid military discipline.
In 272, the emperor turned to the eastern provinces and the Palmyra Empire. Rome's supply of grain was threatened, as Egypt was under Zenobia's control. As soon as he estimated that the legions were ready enough, Aurelian headed east. Asia Minor was quickly recaptured, Byzantium surrendered, and finally the well-defended city of Tiana, after whose surrender things quickly went in Aurelian's favor. Within six months, the emperor stood at the gates of Palmyra, the city surrendered, and Zenobia tried to escape to Persia. The Palmyrene Empire ceased to exist. The queen and her son were captured and paraded through the streets of Rome, and the normal supply of grain was re-established.
Palmyra rebelled again in 273, but this time Aurelian completely destroyed the city, which never recovered.
Almost like when her birth and origin are in question, Zenobia's death has remained unresolved to this day. Some Arab sources say she committed suicide to avoid captivity. Roman sources claim that Aurelian, refusing to sentence the woman to death, brought her to Rome as a slave. "The queen has always wanted to visit Rome and that wish was finally fulfilled," it is ironically stated in "The Imperial Tales". Some sources claim that she was destroyed there, others say that she married a Roman senator and lived as a Roman matron.
However, no matter what happened to her, the exploits of the Queen of Sand were and remain an inspiration to many writers.
A very interesting article that makes you think.