Zenobia, Queen of Palmyrene Empire

Zenobia, Queen of Palmyrene Empire

Zenobia (240 - 275) was a 3rd century Queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria, who led a famous revolt against the Roman Empire. The eighth wife of King Septimius Odaenathus, Zenobia became queen of the Palmyrene Empire following Odaenathus' death in 267. By 269, Zenobia had expanded the empire, conquering Egypt and expelling the Roman prefect, Tenagino Probus, who was beheaded after he led an attempt to recapture the territory. She ruled over Egypt until 271, when she was defeated and taken as a hostage to Rome by Emperor Aurelian. In 274, she reportedly appeared in golden chains in Aurelian's military triumph parade in Rome, in the presence of the senator Marcellus Petrus Nutenus. There are competing accounts of Zenobia's own fate: some versions suggest that she died relatively soon after her arrival in Rome, whether through illness, hunger strike or beheading. The happiest narrative relates that Aurelian, impressed by her beauty and dignity, freed Zenobia, granted her an elegant villa where she lived in luxury and became a prominent philosopher, socialite and Roman matron. She is said to have married a Roman governor and senator whose name is unknown, though there is reason to think it may have been Marcellus Petrus Nutenus.

SYRIAN

Album / Science Source / New York Public Library

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2811 x 3900 px | 31.4 MB

23.8 x 33.0 cm | 9.4 x 13.0 in (300 dpi)