Following the collapse of
the Seleucid empire in 64 BC (one of the vestiges of Alexander’s
empire), a no-man’s land existed in the Middle East between the Roman
empire to the west and the Parthian empire to the east. The people of
Tadmor, a desert city located at an oasis on the east-west trade route,
established a desert police force that protected the trade between
Damascus and the Euphrates River. They grew rich on this trade and their
city became known to the Romans as Palmyra (place of palms).
Around 17 AD Palmyra
became part of Roman Syria while retaining much independence and its
desert army. In 129 Palmyra was granted the status of a free city and
later was made a Roman colony.
After the Persians
defeated and captured the Roman emperor Valerian in 260, a Palmyran
nobleman was made Dux Orientis (duke, or warlord, of the East—almost a
co-emperor) and given Roman support. The Palmyran army defeated the
Persians (capturing their capital at Ctesiphon on two occasions) and
reconquered Mesopotamia. Following the suspicious murder of the Dux
Orientis in 267, his wife Zenobia took the throne and claimed the title
of Augustus for her infant son. The Romans were suspicious of these
changes but an army they sent east was defeated by Zenobia, who was a
competent war leader.
The Palmyrans then
occupied Egypt and pushed the Goths back out of Asia Minor. By this time
the Palmyran empire stretched from Asia Minor to Mesopotamia to Egypt.
Its army consisted mainly of archers, horse archers, and heavy cavalry (cataphracts).
The Romans could not ignore the revolt of the Palmyrans and the loss of
the grain supplies from Egypt. One army was dispatched to Egypt to
reestablish control there. The Emperor Aurelius (an ex-cavalry officer)
led a second army into Syria and defeated the Palmyrans twice, at
Antioch and Emesa.
Roman light cavalry bested
the Palmyran cataphracts. Palmyra was besieged and surrendered. Queen
Zenobia was caught trying to flee but was allowed to retire into exile
after being paraded through the streets of Rome. Palmyra revolted once
more after the emperor departed, massacring the Roman garrison. Valerian
returned quickly and sacked the city. It continued to exist for many
more centuries but never returned to prominence.
