Zenobia
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This article is about the Queen of the Palmyrene Empire. For other uses, see Zenobia (disambiguation).
Zenobia (around 240-?) was a Syrian woman who lived in the third century. She was a queen of Palmyra and the second wife to king of Palmyra Septimius Odaenathus.
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[edit] Family, ancestry and early life
Zenobia was born with the name Iulia (or Julia) Aurelia Zenobia. Her name in the Arabic language is Znwbya Bat Zaddai or (الزباء بنت عمرو بن الظرب بن حسان ابن أذينة بن السميدع); Greek Ζηνοδία or Ζηνοδίαs and is known as Xenobia or Septimia Zenobia (she added that name to her name when she married Septimius Odaenathus). Her father, Zabaii ben Selim or Iulius Aurelius Zenobius, was a chieftain of Syria in 229 and her mother may have been Egyptian. Her father’s gentilicium Aurelius shows that his paternal ancestors received Roman citizenship under either Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (reigned 138-161), Marcus Aurelius (reigned 161-180) or Commodus (reigned 180-192). Zenobia was born and raised in Palmyra, Syria. Her mother being Egyptian is based on the fact that Zenobia knew the ancient Egyptian language very well and had a strong predisposition towards the ancient culture of Egypt.
Inscriptions found at Palmyra, show that Zenobia’s father had a Greek name Antiochus. However according to Augustan History (Aurel. 31.2), his name was Achilleus and his usurper was named Antiochus (Zos. 1.60.2). Zenobia’s near ancestry is not certainly known however; her father’s paternal ancestry is traceable up to six generations, who includes a Sampsigeramus (a Syrian chieftain, who founded the Royal Family of Emesa modern Homs, Syria) and Gaius Julius Bassianus, a high priest from Emesa and father of Roman Empress Julia Domna.
Zenobia claimed to be a descendant of Queen of Carthage Dido, King of Emesa Sampsigeramus and Ptolemaic Greek Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt. According to Augustan History, an imperial declaration in 269, was sent to the citizens of Alexandria, Egypt, describing the city as “my ancestral city”. This declaration only fits Vaballathus, the son of Zenobia. Historian Kallinikos of Petra, dedicated a ten-book history on Alexandria’s history to a ’Cleopatra’, who can only be Zenobia. Zenobia is descended the three above named figures from Drusilla of Mauretania. Drusilla was a daughter of King Ptolemy of Mauretania and Queen Julia Urania of Mauretania. Drusilla’s mother most probably came from the Royal Family of Emesa and Drusilla married in that Royal Family. Drusilla’s paternal grandmother Queen of Mauretania Cleopatra Selene (II), was a daughter of Ptolemaic Greek Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Roman Triumvir Mark Antony. Drusilla’s paternal grandfather African King Juba II of Mauretania, claimed to be a descendant of the sister to General of Carthage Hannibal (Lucan. Pharsalia 8.287). Hannibal’s family, the Barcids claimed to be descended from Dido’s younger brother.
Zenobia was beautiful, attractive and intelligent. She had a dark complexion, her teeth were pearl white, she had black bright eyes that sparkled and had a sweet look in her face. Zenobia had a strong and melodic voice and had the charms of a woman. Zenobia was well educated and knew Greek, Aramaic, Egyptian and Latin. She was very interested in history and interested in the works of Homer, Plato and other writers from Greece. She also enjoyed hunting animals and drinking.
[edit] Queen of Palmyra
Zenobia married King of Palmyra Septimius Odaenathus by 258 as his second wife. She had a stepson Hairan, a son from Odaenathus’ first marriage. As in 258, there is an inscription ‘the illustrious consul our lord’ at Palmyra, dedicated to Odaenathus who was chief of Palmyra, by Zenobia, who was a supporter of his.
Around 266, Zenobia and Odaenathus had a son, his second child, Lucius Iulius Aurelius Septimius Vaballathus Athenodorus. Her son Vaballathus (Latin from the Arabic as وهب اللات Wahballath), is the name of Odaenathus’ paternal grandfather that means ‘gift of the Goddess’. In 267, Zenobia’s husband and stepson were assassinated. Vaballathus, not old enough to rule as king, his mother succeeded his father and ruled Palmyra on his behalf. Although Vaballathus was declared king, he was king in title and position only, as his mother had the real power and ruled the throne. Zenobia bestowed upon herself and her son the honorific titles of Augusta and Augustus.
Xenobia conquered new territories and increased the Palmyrene Empire, in the memory of her husband and as a legacy to her son. Her stated goal was to protect the Eastern Roman Empire from the Sassanid Empire, for the peace of Rome; however, her efforts significantly increased the power of her throne.
In 269, Zenobia, her army and the Palmyrene General Zabdas violently conquered Egypt with help from their Egyptian ally, Timagenes and his army. The Roman prefect of Egypt, Tenagino Probus and his forces, tried to expel them from Egypt; but Zenobia's forces captured and beheaded Probus. She then proclaimed herself Queen of Egypt.
After these initial forays, Zenobia became known as the "Warrior Queen". In leading her army, she displayed significant prowess: she was an able horse rider and could walk three or four miles with her foot soldiers.
Zenobia with her large army made expeditions and conquered Asia Minor as far as Ancyra or Ankara and Chalcedon, then to Syria, Palestine and Lebanon. In her short lived empire, Zenobia took the vital trade routes in these areas from the Romans. Roman Emperor Aurelian, probably did recognise Zenobia and Vaballathus, who was at that time campaigning with his forces in the Gallic Empire. However this relationship began to degenerate when Aurelian began a military campaign to reunite the Roman Empire in 272-273. Aurelian and his forces left the Gallic Empire and arrived in Syria. Aurelian, Zenobia and their forces met and fought near Antioch. After a crushing defeat, the remaining Palmyrenes briefly fled into Antioch and into Emesa. Zenobia was unable to remove her treasury at Emesa as Aurelian successfully entered and sieged Emesa. Zenobia and her son escaped from Emesa on camel back with help from the Sassanids and were captured on the Euphrates River by Aurelian’s horsemen. Zenobia’s short lived kingdom and the Palmyrene Empire had ended. There is a claim, after Aurelian’s defeat Zenobia committed suicide, however this is not likely. The remaining Palmyrenes who refused to surrender were captured by Aurelian and were executed on Aurelian’s orders. Among those who were executed was Zenobia's chief counselor and Greek sophist Cassius Dionysius Longinus.
Zenobia and Vaballathus were taken as hostages to Rome by Aurelian. Vaballathus died on his way to Rome. In 274, Zenobia appeared in golden chains in Aurelian’s military triumph parade in Rome. Aurelian, out of clemency, impressed by her beauty and dignity, freed Zenobia. Aurelian granted her an elegant villa in Tibur (modern Tivoli, Italy). She lived in luxury and she became a prominent philosopher, socialite and Roman matron. Zenobia married a Roman governor and senator whose name is unknown. The two had several daughters, whose names are also unknown but who married into Roman noble families. She would have further descendants surviving in the fourth and fifth century.
The evidence of a descendant of Zenobia’s can be confirmed by an inscription found in Rome. The inscription Lucius Septimia Patavinia Balbilla Tyria Nepotilla Odaenathiania has the names of her first husband Septimius Odaenathus. He was probably named in the honor of Zenobia's first husband. (After the deaths of Odaenathus and his sons, Odaenathus had no descendants). Another possible descendant is Saint Zenobius of Florence, a Christian bishop who lived in the fifth century.
[edit] Modern fiction
- Geoffrey Chaucer, "The Monk's Prologue and Tale", in The Canterbury Tales, vv. 359-486
- Beloved, by Bertrice Small, is a fictitious retelling (historical novel) of Zenobia's life. ISBN 0-345-32785-3
- The Chronicle of Zenobia: the Rebel Queen[1], by Judith Weingarten (Pegasus 2006).
- Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, contains a manipulative character named Zenobia Pierce
- "Rites of Passage", by William Golding contains an actrice under the name of Zenobia
