Pearl of the Desert: A History of Palmyra (Women in Antiquity)

Palmyra has long attracted the attention of the world. Well before its rediscovery in the seventeenth century, the ancient city gained legendary status because of its Queen Zenobia, who in the third century CE rebelled against Rome and expanded Palmyra's territory into what is now modern Turkey and Egypt. Even though Zenobia's empire was a fairly short interlude and the Romans struck back hard, devastating the city, her path to imperial power was one which tells us much about Palmyrene identity in the period before the defeat. While Zenobia has gained renewed interest among both scholars and the press, and while she has served as a political symbol for Syria's president Assad--a statue of her was recently erected in Damascus--the time leading up to her reign still remains underexplored.� Pearl of the Desert is the most comprehensive history of this fabled ancient city in English. Assimilating the rich archaeological and literary evidence, Rubina Raja unfolds the story chronologically, from the earliest evidence of settlement in the Bronze Age to Palmyra's rise as an urban center in the late Hellenistic and Roman periods, its destruction by Rome in 273 CE, and its survival in the Byzantine and medieval Islamic periods. The book ends with a discussion of Palmyra's modern rediscovery and, more recently, its chaotic misfortunes during the Syrian civil war when it was used as a symbol of, alternately, the resistance of the rebels, the power of ISIS, and the supremacy of the Syrian state. After several years of destruction and looting, securing of the site has begun as well as planning for its restoration. At this turning point in Palmyra's long history, there is no better time to assess the past, present, and future of this remarkable city. Palmyra has long attracted the attention of the world. Even before its rediscovery in the eighteenth century it had gained legendary status because of its third-century CE Queen Zenobia, who had rebelled against the Romans and expanded Palmyra's territory into that of an Empire, stretching from what is modern eastern Turkey into Egypt. The city and its queen featured in European art and literature already in the century. Zenobia's Palmyra already existed as a miragein the minds of the educated Europeans. Even though Zenobia's reign and extensive power was a fairly short interlude and the Romans struck hard against the Palmyrenes devastating the city, this path to imperial power was one which tells us an immense amount about Palmyrene identity in the periodbefore the devastation. While Zenobia has gained renewed interest among both scholars and the press, and while she has served as a political symbol for Syria's president As'ad (a statue of her was recently erected in Damascus), the time leading up to her reign still remains underexplored. 0With the current situation in Syria, a researched-based narrative is urgently needed to communicate the importance of this site to the general public. Palmyra has over the last years been used as a symbol of the resistance of the rebels, the power of ISIS over the region, as well as the supremacy of the Syrian state. UNESCO and the Russians have together with the Syrian state taken a particular interest in Palmyra and in monopolizing the potential rebuilding of the site after the destruction0and looting of the past several years have subsided. We are, so to speak, standing at yet another turning point in Palmyra's long history, where history is being reinvented actively by several parties. There can be no doubt that the time is ripe for a book on the archaeology and history of Palmyra, aswell as an analysis of the current situation, including the destruction and illicit trafficking of material remains from Palmyra "This volume explores the oasis city of Palmyra in the Syrian Desert through an in-depth examination of the site's unique archeology and history. Palmyra is best known as the Pearl in the Desert of the Roman Empire, a vibrant living center that stood at the heart of flourishing international networks of trade and politics in the first three centuries CE. It is from this period that the vast majority of the material and written sources stem, and it is Palmyra's position as a city, caught between the empires of Rome and Parthia, that is the main focus of the book. However, the volume also touches on Palmyra before the Roman period as well as after Zenobia's rebellion and the city's sack in 272 CE and again in 273 CE, and it traces Palmyra's developments over the years--from the events of the Umayyad period to the arrival of the first European tourists. Finally, the volume explores the tragic eruption of civil war in Syria in the twenty-first century, showing how in modern times, Palmyra has once again become enmeshed in international political networks as well as being drawn into global debates about the trade and protection of cultural heritage"--Publisher's description The time is ripe for a book on the archaeology and history of Palmyra, as well as an account of the site in the history of research in general and an analysis of the current situation, including the destruction and illicit trafficking of cultural goods from Palmyra. These three main aspects (archaeology and history of the site, history of research, current developments) together highlight the ways in which this fascinating site has again and again become a focus in world history