297 
PAL 
tlie monarchy of France, it fell to the ground without a 
itruggle. Burke on a Regicide Peace. 
In the moft high and palmy ftate of Rome, 
A little ere the mightieft Julius fell. 
The graves flood tenantlefs. Skakefpeare. 
PALMY'RA, or Tad'mor, a celebrated city of Syria, 
now in ruins, fituated in the midft of a large plain, fur- 
rounded on three fides by a long chain of mountains. 
This city, to which oriental commodities were carried in 
ancient times, was originally built by king Solomon after 
he had conquered the king of Hamathzoba, a petty Syrian 
prince, within whofe dominions the country lay in which 
this city was afterwards ereCted. It was called by Solomon 
Tadmor, which fignifies “ the Place of Palmsand, 
from its fituation in the midft of a fandy defert which fur- 
rounded it on all fides, “Tadmor in the Wildernefs.” 
Hiitory is filent as to the fate and circumftances of this 
city during the great revolutions in the feveral empires of 
•the eaft 5 but it may well be fuppofed, that fo advanced a 
garrifon as this was, being above 300 miles from Jerufalem, 
continued not long in the poffeftion of the Jews, who, imme¬ 
diately after Solomon, fell into civil diffenfion, and divided 
their force; fo that, without doubt, it fubmitted to the 
.Babylonian and Perfian monarchies, and afterwards to the 
Macedonians under Alexander and the Seleucidas. But, 
when the Romans advanced to thefe parts, and the Parthi¬ 
ans feemed to put a flop to their farther conquefts in the 
eaft, then was this city of Palmyra, by reafon of its fitua¬ 
tion, being a frontier, and in the midft of a vaft fandy de- 
fert, where armies could not well fubfift to reduce it by 
force, courted and careffed by the contending princes, and 
permitted to continue a free ftate, a mart or ftaple for 
trade, for the convenience of both empires, as we learn from 
the information both of Appian and Pliny. Palmyra is 
firft mentioned by the Roman hiftorians as a place which 
Mark Antony, after his victory at Philippi, about 40 
years B. C. attempted to plunder, pretending that it had 
not obferved a juit neutrality between the Romans and 
Parthians. When theRomans under Trajan had made it 
appear, by his victories, that there was no comparifon be¬ 
tween their power and that of the Parthians, (Trajan hav¬ 
ing taken Babylon, and Ctefiphon, the feat, at that time, of 
the Parthian empire,) the Palmyrenes were induced to de¬ 
clare for the Romans; which they did, by fubmitting 
themfelves to the emperor Adrian, about the year of Chrift 
130, when Adrian made his progrefs through Syria into 
Egypt. This magnificent emperor, being highly delighted 
with the fituation and native ftrength of the place, fituated 
on an extenfive plain, and furrounded on three fides by a 
vaft chain of mountains, determined to furnifh it with 
various fplendid edifices and ornaments 5 and at this time 
he probably conferred upon it the privileges of a “ Colonia 
Juris Italici,” which, as we learn from Ulpian, it actually 
enjoyed; and the inhabitants of the city were induced by 
gratitude to call themfelves “ Hadrianopolitae.” Many 
of its marble pillars, particularly thofe of the long porti¬ 
cos, (hereafter to be more particularly defcribed,) were 
probably the gift of this emperor. 
From Adrian to Aurelian, about 140 years. Palmyra 
continued to flourifti and increafe in wealth and power 
under the protection of the Romans; but, when the 
defeat and captivity of Valerian had fo much weak¬ 
ened the empire, that the Perfians feemed to be in a 
fair way of becoming mailers of all the eaftern provinces, 
the Palmyrenians began to entertain thoughts of recover¬ 
ing their liberty. Odenatus, prince of Palmyra, fent a very 
relpeCtful letter to Sapor king of Perfia, on his return, ac¬ 
companied with confiderable prefents ; but by thathaughty 
conqueror his letter and embaffy were treated with the 
moft provoking contempt. With this injurious treatment 
Odenatus was fo provoked, that he fwore either to bring 
down the pride of the haughty conqueror, or die in the at¬ 
tempt. Of the war of Odenatus with the Perfians, how¬ 
ever, we know very little: only that, though the latter were 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1243. 
M Y R A. 
often vanquilhed, and the independence of Palmyra efta- 
blilhed for the prefent, yet Valerian was never releafed from 
his captivity, though Odenatus earneftly wilhed to have 
the honour of relcuing him from his enemies. See Ode¬ 
natus, vol. xvii. p. 398. 
Odenatus enjoyed his fovereignty but a very Ihort time; 
being murdered by his nephew, who was foon after put to 
death by Zenobia, the wife of Odenatus. This lady is 
faid to have been poftefl’ed of very extraordinary endow¬ 
ments both of body and mind, being, according to Mr. 
Gibbon, almolt the only Afiatic woman who is recorded 
to have overcome the obftacles arifing from the confined 
fituation of the fair lex in that part of the world. Imme¬ 
diately on taking vengeance for the murder of her hulband, 
Ihe aflumed the fovereignty, under the title of queen 
of the Eaft, wore the diadem, and appeared with all the 
diftinCtions of imperial rank. Gallienus, on the intelli¬ 
gence of the death of Odenatus, having fent a general to 
condu< 5 l the war againft the Perfians in his Head, hollilities 
took place between him and Zenobia, who defeated him, 
and obliged him to retreat to Europe. She governed with 
equal vigour and policy ; and, entertaining vaft projects of 
dominion for herfelf and her three fons, ihe employed an 
interval of peace in the reign of the emperor Claudius II. 
in annexing Egypt to the extenfive territories which Ode¬ 
natus had poflelfed. By her general Zabdas Hie defeated 
and fubjugated the Egyptians ; and, the Roman general 
Probus or Probatus, making an attempt to recover the 
country, he was taken prifoner, and in defpair put an end 
to his life. 
She continued to aggrandize herfelf in Alia, and her au¬ 
thority was recognized both in Cappadocia and Bithynia, 
when Aurelian Succeeded to the Roman empire. This 
martial prince, as foon as he had eftablilhed tranquillity in 
the well, refolved to wipe off the difgrace of fuffering the 
richeft provinces in the eaft to be ufurped by a female. 
He crofted over to Afia with a powerful army ; and his pre¬ 
fence foon reftored obedience to the province of Bithynia, 
already ftiaken by the arms and intrigues of Zenobia. Ad¬ 
vancing at the head of his legions, ke accepted the fub- 
miftion of Ancyra ; and was admitted into Tyana, after an 
obftinate fiege, by the help of a perfidious citizen : a fuper- 
ftitious reverence induced him to treat with lenity the 
"countrymen of Apollonius the philofopher. Antioch was 
deferted on his approach; till the emperor, by hisfalutary 
edicts, recalled the fugitives, and granted a general pardon 
to all who, from neceflity rather than choice, had been en¬ 
gaged in the fervice of the Palmyrenian queen. The un¬ 
expected mildnefs of fucli a conduCt reconciled the minds 
of the Syrians, and, as far as the gates of Emefa,the wifties 
of the people feconded the terror of his arms. 
Zenobia would have ill deferved her reputation, had 
flie indolently permitted the emperor of the Weft to ap¬ 
proach within a hundred miles of her capital. The fate 
of the Eaft was decided in two great battles ; fo fimilar in 
almoft every circumftance, that we can fcarcely diftinguifh 
them from each other, except by obferving, that the firft: 
was fought near Antioch, and the fecond near Emefa. In 
both, the queen of Palmyra animated the armies by her 
prefence, and devolved the execution of her orders on 
Zabdas, who had already fignalized his military talents by 
theconqueft of Egypt. The numerous forces of Zenobia 
confilled for the moft part of light archers, and of heavy 
cavalry clothed in complete fteel. The Moorifh and Illy¬ 
rian horfe of Aurelian were unable to fuftain the ponde¬ 
rous charge of their antagonifts. They fled in real or af- 
feCted diforder, engaged the Palmyrenians in a laborious 
purfuit, haraffed them by a defultory combat, and at length 
difcomfited this impenetrable but unwieldy body of ca¬ 
valry. The light infantry, in the mean time, when they 
had exhaufted their quivers, remaining without protection 
againft a clofer onfet, expofed their naked tides to the 
fwords of the legions. Aurelian had chofen thefe veteran 
troops, who were ufually ftationed on the Upper Danube, 
and whofe valour had been feverely tried in the Alleman- 
4 G nic 
