![]() Whether Zenobia was a commoner is a heavily debated topic. At the same time, Odenathus was at the height of his political importance as chief exarchos in Palmyra (Stoneman, 1992). Although she was only around 14 years of age at the time of marriage, she became known quickly as the Queen of Palmyra. 255 was the starting point of her short, yet powerful reign. Zenobia’s marriage to Septimius Odenathus in A.D. Another study of her education claimed that she was fluent in many different languages, and was able to speak Latin (Ball, 2016). via Wikipedia CommonsĪccording to a study of Zenobia’s early life by Richard Stoneman, she was not a commoner and received the level of education that seemed “appropriate” to a Palmyrene girl of noble family (Stoneman, p.113, 1992). ![]() Queen Zenobia’s Last Look Upon Palmyra, Herbert Gustave Schmalz. Unfortunately, we can not confidently make these conclusions about Zenobia’s identity, as little is known about her ancestry and immediate family. Because of this, Zenobia would not have been identified as either, and rather as both, because she would have had both Aramean and Arab blood (Southern 2008). Zenobia was from the Palmyrene society, which was composed of Semitic tribes – the Aramean and the Arab. Much of what we know about Zenobia’s life is related to her city and it’s history, we are able to uncover much of her story with the evidence and sources that still exist today. We are also able to interpret the information in a way that allows us to assume the Roman’s perception of her power within her rebellion. With these sources, we are able to understand a significant timeline of Zenobia’s life, and her downfall as Queen of Palmyra (Stoneman, 1992). There is also evidence of her reign in an archaeological aspect, as much of Palmyra was well-preserved throughout history. These sources provide important information about Zenobia, specifically in the Historia Augusta, which details Aurelian’s military campaigns in which Zenobia was involved in as the opposition. Thankfully, her range of achievements have resulted in her being included in Arab histories, as well as a brief portion of the Jewish Talmud, and the Historia Augusta (Stoneman, 1992). As a result of her gender and achievements, Zenobia became a notable figure of the 3rd century. ![]() Despite this, Zenobia was a ruthless powerhouse in her ruling as Queen of Palmyra, and she is responsible for one of the most significant events in Roman history. Zenobia’s journey to political power followed suit her marriage to Septimius Odenathus, senator, and self-proclaimed king of Palmyra (Stoneman, 1992). She was the daughter of Julius Aurelius Zenobios who was one of the generals of Palmyra in A.D. Zenobia was born in Palmyra, Syria around A.D. ![]()
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