Zenobia - Queen of Palmyra

Queen of Palmyra

Zenobia had married Septimius Odaenathus, the King of Palmyra, by 258; she was his second wife. She had a stepson, Hairan, a son from Odaenathus’ first marriage. There is an inscription, ‘the illustrious consul our lord’ at Palmyra, dedicated to Odaenathus by Zenobia. Around 266, Zenobia and Odaenathus had a son, his second child, Lucius Julius Aurelius Septimius Vaballathus Athenodorus. Her son Vaballathus (Latin from Aramaic והב אלת, Wahballat "Gift of the Goddess") inherited the name of Odaenathus’ paternal grandfather.

In 267, Zenobia’s husband and stepson were assassinated. The titled heir, Vaballathus, was only a year old, so his mother succeeded her husband and ruled Palmyra. Zenobia bestowed upon herself and her son the honorific titles of Augusta and Augustus. Zenobia 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 own throne.