Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

23 Palmyra 161
However, when in 270 Palmyra sent troops to Egypt, embarked on a campaign
into Asia Minor advancing to Ankyra and Chalcedon and conquered
the Roman province of Arabia the break with Rome was final. 54 When the
emperor Aurelian (270–5) began his reign Palmyra’s sphere of influence was
at its peak, reaching from Alexandria in Egypt to the Hellespont. 55
Officially, Zenobia also broke with Rome; in 271/2 the joint mints with
Aurelian ceased. 56 By issuing coins with the title ‘Augusta’ or ‘Augustus’
for herself and her son, without including Aurelian, Zenobia postulated
her own imperial rule and proclaimed Palmyra’s independence from the
Roman Empire. 57 Her aggressive policy did not remain without a response.
In the year 271 Aurelian, whose hands had been tied by revolts in the empire
and barbarian invasions, turned against Palmyra. At Antioch and at Emesa
he scored a decisive victory against the Palmyrene army and in 272 he
forced Palmyra to surrender. 58 Whereas Zenobia herself was captured the
city was spared by Aurelian. However, shortly after he had left the area the
emperor was informed of an uprising in Palmyra, which made him return
and besiege the city once more. 59 The title Palmyrenicus maximus, which
is exclusively attested for Aurelian, celebrated the victory. 60 The emperor
had managed to restore his rule in this region.
With regard to Zenobia’s fate the sources are not unanimous. Whereas
the Greek historian of the fifth century, Zosimus, claims that Zenobia died
on the journey to Rome, 61 the majority of our sources tell us that she
was paraded through Rome during Aurelian’s triumph and that she lived
in the vicinity of Rome for some time after. 62 Once more the Historia
Augusta deserves special attention in this context. The Lives of the Thirty
Tyrants include a letter attributed to Aurelian and addressed to the Roman
Senate in which the emperor defends himself against accusations that he
had celebrated his victory over a woman like a victory over a military leader.
Scriptores Historiae Augustae, Tyranni triginta 30.4–11; 24–6
(4) A letter by Aurelian survives which bears testimony regarding the captured
woman. For when he was criticised by certain people because he, the strongest
54 Zos. i.50; for the difficult chronology of the events see Strobel 1993: 256–60.
55 Millar 1971: 1–17; Equini Schneider 1993 and Stoneman 1992.
56 On these mints see the references in Strobel 1993: 265.
57 On the legends S ZENOBIA AUG and IMP C VAHBALLATHUS AUG see RIC v2: 584, nos. 1–2
and 585, nos. 1–8; see also Drijvers 1977: 851–2 and Strobel 1993: 265–6.
58 Downey 1950: 57–68.
59 Zos. i.61; see Bowersock 1983: 130–7 and Shahîd 1984a: 22–5, 151–2.
60 CIL v 4319 (= ILS 579); cf. also Kettenhofen 1986: 143–4.
61 Zos. i.59.4. 62 SHA Tyr. Trig. 24.4; Aur. 33.1–2; Eutr. ix.13; Fest. 24.