1/12 scale resin Bust imensions (L x W x H) 12 × 10 × 6 cm
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Septimia Zenobia (Palmyrene Aramaic: 𐡡𐡶𐡦𐡡𐡩, Bat-Zabbai ; c. 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Her native Palmyrene name was Bat-Zabbai (written “ Btzby ” in the Palmyrene alphabet), an Aramaic name meaning “ Daughter of Zabbai ”. Many subtitles surround her ancestor; 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 Sasanian Empire of Persia and stabilizing the Roman East. After Odaenathus' assassination, Zenobia became the regent of her son Vaballathus and held de facto power throughout his reign.
In 270, Zenobia launched an invasion that brought most of the Roman East under her sway and culminated with the annexation of Egypt. Palmyra Army moved into Egypt with 70,000 soldiers, defeating an army of 50,000 Romans. After their victory, the Palmyrenes withdrew their main force and left a 5,000-soldier garrison. By early November, Tenagino Probus returned and assembled an army. The last battle was at the Babylon Fortress, where Tenagino Probus took refuge. The Romans had the upper hand since they chose their camp carefully. Timagenes, with his knowledge of the land, ambushed the Roman rear. Tenagino Probus committed suicide, and Egypt became part of Palmyra. During the Egyptian campaign, Rome was entangled in a succession crisis between Claudius' brother Quintillus and the General Aurelian. According to later accounts, she accompanied her husband on his campaigns. If the accounts of her accompanying her husband are true, Zenobia would have boosted the morale of the soldiers and gained political influence, which she needed in her later career. Zenobia Amy confronted the Roman Forces and defeated them. By mid-271 her realm extended from Ancyra, central Anatolia, to Upper Egypt.
The usurpation, which began in late March or early April 272, ended by August. Aurelian strike and Galatia fell easily. The Palmyrene garrisons were apparently withdrawn, and the provincial capital of Ancyra was regained without a struggle. All the cities in Asia Minor opened their doors to the Roman emperor, with only Tyana putting up some resistance before surrendering. This cleared the path for Aurelian to invade Syria, the Palmyrene heartland. A simultaneous expedition reached Egypt in May 272. By early June, Alexandria was captured by the Romans, followed by the rest of Egypt by the third week of June. Zenobia seems to have withdrawn most of her armies from Egypt to focus on Syria—which, if lost, would have meant the end of Palmyra. In May 272, Aurelian defeated the Palmyrene army at the Battle of Immae. To conceal the disaster and make her flight safer, she spread reports that Aurelian was captured. Zabdas found a man who resembled the Roman emperor and stopped him through Antioch. The following day, Aurelian entered the city before marching south. After defeating a Palmyrene garrison south of Antioch, Aurelian continued his march to meet Zenobia in the Battle of Emesa.
The 70,000-strong Palmyrene army, assembled on the plain of Emesa, nearly routed the Romans. In an initial thrill of victory they hastened their advance, breaking their lines and enabling the Roman infantry to attack their flank. The defeated Zenobia headed to her capital on the advice of her war council, leaving her treasury behind her. In Palmyra, the empress prepared for a siege. Aurelian blocked food-supply routes and there were probably unsuccessful negotiations. According to the Augustan History , Zenobia said that she would fight Aurelian with the help of her Persian allies. However, the story was probably fabricated and used by the emperor to link Zenobia to Rome's greatest enemy. If such an alliance existed, a much-larger frontier war would have erupted. However, no Persian army was sent. As the situation worsened, the queen left the city for Persia intending on seeking help from Palmyra's former enemy. Aurelian, learning about Zenobia's departure, sent a contingent which captured the empress before she could cross the Euphrates to Persia. Palmyra capitulated soon after news of Zenobia's captivity reached the city in August 272. Zenobia's fate is uncertain since ancient historians left conflicting accounts. Zosimus wrote that she died before crossing the Bosporus on her way to Rome. According to this account, the empress became ill or starved herself to death. The generally unreliable chronicler, John Malalas, wrote that Aurelian humiliated Zenobia by stopping her through the eastern cities on a dromedary. In Antioch, the emperor had her chained and seated on a dais in the hippodrome for three days before the city's population. Others defended Zenobia appeared in Aurelian's triumph and was then beheaded. Most ancient historians and modern scholars agree that Zenobia was displayed in Aurelian's 274 triumph. According to the other historians, her life was spared after Aurelian's triumph. The Augustan History recorded that Aurelian gave Zenobia a villa in Tibur near Hadrian's Villa, where she lived with her children. Zonaras wrote that Zenobia married a nobleman, and Syncellus wrote that she married a Roman senator. The house she reportedly occupied became a tourist attraction in Rome.
Zenobia was a cultured monarch and fostered an intellectual environment in her court, which was open to scholars and philosophers. She was tolerant toward her subjects and protected religious minorities. The empress maintained a stable administration, which governed a multicultural, multiethnic empire. All this tales have been recorded about her fate. Her rise and fall have inspired historians, artists and novelists, and she is a patriotic symbol in Syria.
Text courtesy of RP Models
