12 Age of Empires Expansion
Palmyran
civilization
(64 BC to 273 AD)
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.
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. The
legions returned quickly and sacked the city. It continued to exist for many more centuries but never
returned to prominence.
