Zenobia was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. She was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the city, Odaenathus. Her husband became king in 260, elevating Palmyra to supreme power in the Near East. Zenobia launched an invasion which brought most of the Roman East under her sway.
About Zenobia in brief
Zenobia was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. She was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the city, Odaenathus. Her husband became king in 260, elevating Palmyra to supreme power in the Near East by defeating the Sassanians. Zenobia launched an invasion which brought most of the Roman East under her sway and culminated with the annexation of Egypt. Her rise and fall have inspired historians, artists and novelists, and she is a patriotic symbol in Syrian. No contemporary statues of Zenobia have been found in Palmyra or elsewhere, only inscriptions on statues bases survive, indicating that a statue of the queen once stood in the place. Her face was dark and of a swarthy hue, her eyes were black and powerful beyond the usual wont, her spirit divinely great, and her beauty incredible. So white were her teeth that many thought that she had pearls in place of teeth. In Greek, she used the name Zenobia. In Palmyra, names such as Zabeida, Zabdila, Zabbai or Zabda were often transformed into \”Zenobios\” and \”Zenobia\” when written in Greek. The Augustan History is the most notable source for the era. It is doubtful that Zenobia had a sister, but sources are confused and refer to a girl called Nafsha, who may refer to Zenobia herself. She may have had both Aramean and Arab ancestry and immediate family connections is scarce and contradictory.
Nothing is known about her mother and her father’s identity is debated. The queen maintained a stable administration which governed a multicultural multiethnic empire. She declared her son emperor and assumed the title of empress in 272, but the Romans were victorious after heavy fighting; the queen was besieged in her capital and captured by Aurelian, who exiled her to Rome where she spent the remainder of her life. She died after 274, and many tales have been recorded about her fate. The historian Victor Duruy believed that the queen used the Greek name as a translation of her native name in deference to her Greek subjects. The ninth-century historian al-Tabari, in his highly fictionalized account, wrote that the Queen’s name was Na’ila al-Zabba’ Manichaean sources called her \”Tadi\”. In addition to archaeological evidence, Zenobia’s life was recorded in different ancient sources but many are flawed or fabricated. The Byzantine chronicler Joannes Zonar is considered an important source for her life of Palmyra society. It cannot be identified with any group; she may be identified as a Pal myrene, an amalgam of Semesesas and Arab tribes, or with any other group; or with the Arameans or Arabs of Palmyrenes. She would have received an education appropriate for a noble girl, according to some sources.
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This page is based on the article Zenobia published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 23, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
