The fabulous eastern city, located 240 kilometers from Damascus, people left and forgot for a thousand years. What is the culprit of Palmograd, also called "royal Palmyra" (as opposed to St. Petersburg - "northern Palmyra")? Why was the capital of a vast eastern power in ancient Syria destroyed by the Romans in 272, and the city was covered with the sands of the desert that was approaching from the south? Why was he forgotten? Only the "groves" of columns that stood in the wind and the protruding walls reminded of the former greatness and splendor of Palmyra.
The honor of its "discovery" in the 17th century belongs to the Italian Pietro della Balle. Other curious people followed. But they were not believed. Only a hundred years later, the English artist Wood brought sketches of Palmyra. He managed to make them become fashionable prints, and with them the Palmyra theme became fashionable. Predatory and professional excavations followed, in which the Russians took an active part. One of them - S. Amalebek-Laza-Rev - made the most interesting find from a historical point of view - a five-meter stele with the Palmyra duty decree of 137. She stood on the agora (square) opposite the temple of the god Rabasire, the ruler of the underworld, and now stands in the Hermitage.
Seeing Palmyra for the first time, S. Amabelek-Lazarev exclaimed:
“Oh, isn't this a dream? Suddenly the road turned sharply to the right, and you involuntarily stop your horse - an amazing impression. You are standing on the side of a mountain between tall burial towers. The wind roars furiously in them. Before you is a vast field, on it several hundred columns, now stretching in alleys a mile long, now making up groves; between them are buildings, triumphal arches, porticoes, walls in the middle of the picture, outside the city - the ruins of the Temple of the Sun - a colossal square building. Its walls are still intact and amaze you with their size from afar. To the right of the Temple of the Sun is the Pal-Mir oasis; the eye is enchanted by the bright green of the crops with dark spots of palms and silvery ridges of olives lying on them. Outside the city stretches the boundless desert, behind the oasis - salt marshes. The lighting is magical, the combination of tones defies description. The delicate pink and gold tones of the ruins lay against the purple background of the mountains and the blue of the desert."
Indeed, the beauty of Palmyra is the beauty of a city that naturally blends into the surrounding nature.
It is absolutely known that already in the III millennium BC. e. Palmyra was inhabited by Semitic tribes. The first time it is mentioned in the Cappadocian tablets of the 2nd millennium BC. e. under the name Tadmor (in Aramaic, this word means "wonderful", "beautiful"). The next time the city is mentioned in the inscription of the Assyrian king Tiglatpalasar I in the list of conquered cities: "Tadmor, which lies in the country of Amurru". Presumably the city was attacked by the king of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar II in the 6th century BC. uh … [33]
Then there was no mention of Tadmore until Roman time. Appian's "Civil Wars" tells how the Roman commander Mark Antony in 42-41 Don. e. tried unsuccessfully to rob the city. He did not succeed in this operation only because the inhabitants, taking all the most valuable, went to the banks of the Euphrates.
They probably felt that victory in the civil war would remain not with Antony and Cleopatra, but with Octavian Augustus, and they were not mistaken. Indeed, back in the III century BC. e. Tadmor became an "ally" of Rome and served as a buffer in the struggle between Rome and the Parthians. Formally, it remained independent and was not even included in the Roman province of Syria. Only under Tiberius, the successor of Augustus, the city began to pay taxes and received the name Palmyra - the city of palm trees.
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In 105 BC. e. Emperor Trajan captured the neighboring city of Petra and destroyed the independence of southern Syria, which played a major role in the East-West transit trade. Here came the time of Palmyra, which got rid of its main competitor. Especially after 200, when the natives of Syria - the Severa - sat on the Roman throne.
After all, Tadmor-Palmira was primarily a merchant, caravan city. It arose in an oasis on the edge of the desert and mountains, where the Efka underground spring with lukewarm sulfurous water gushed. Every second, 150 liters of water were thrown out of an underground cave 100 meters long (there are still baths there). Wandering merchants settled here for the night, or even for many days' rest. Gradually, the source became a meeting place and a resale market for those who did not want to move on, preferring to donate a part to a reseller, rather than lose everything in the event of an attack by robber Bedouin tribes.
Efka was at a distance of five days' journey from the Euphrates and close to the place where Palmyra arose from the oasis. The exceptional importance of this crossroads was that it united Rome with South Arabia, Iran and India. In Palmyra, the western wheeled roads ended, here any goods had to be loaded onto camels, and vice versa. Palmyra merchants organized, equipped and led caravans across the desert to the Euphrates. They received additional profit if they managed to avoid attacks on the caravan of the ubiquitous nomads. Because of all this, Palmyra quickly became a city of customs, inns and inns. Horsemen, porters, warriors, money changers, prostitutes, priests of even the smallest gods, translators, healers, veterinarians, runaway slaves, architects, masters of any crafts, spies, people of other professions settled here - in fact,only the Roman procurator and emperor were not here.
The holy fool had huge incomes from the collection of duties. The largest monument of Palmyrian legislation, which has already been mentioned, is dedicated to duties and is carved in two languages, Greek and Aramaic.
“Under Bonne, the son of Bonney, the son of Hairan, and Grammatus Alexandra, the son of Philopator, in the archonship of Malik, the son of Solat, the son of Mokimu, and Zobeida, the son of Nessa, when the Council was assembled in accordance with the law, he decreed what is written below.
Since in the past, in the law on duties, many items subject to duty were not listed and collected according to custom, because it was written in the contract that the collector of duties should collect according to law and custom, and therefore often disputes between merchants and collectors, it was decided by the Council that these archons and decaprotes should consider what is not listed in the law, and let it be recorded in a new treaty for each item its duty."
This was followed by an impressive list of taxable goods: slaves - 12 denarii each, camel load - 3 denarii, donkey - 2, purple wool - 28 denarii for a fleece, fragrant myrrh - 25 for an alabaster vessel, oil in goat furs - 7, oil - 4, salted fish - 10 et cetera.
But that was the toll the city was taking. In the second part of the decree, it turns out that another fee was taken by the prefect Gaius Licinius Mucian, and he did not take it himself, but gave it to a certain Alcimus with a companion. These pulled money for everything: for driving cattle, for trade in the city, for a load of nuts, scrupulously noting every little thing (they even divided prostitutes into two categories: those who take a denarius for intercourse, and those who are more, and accordingly taxed).
Having familiarized yourself in detail with this "poem of just extortion", crowning the social and social life of the city, you understand how far the interests of this "vice-empire" of Rome in the East were from the imperial problems of the "metropolis" and at the same time the Palmyrans were interested in peace. It is known that the Romans will fight, and merchants will pay for the war. And it is no coincidence that at the end of the II century, the Romans created a special police magistrate in Palmyra - to monitor the mood of the townspeople and passing merchants. The measure is quite understandable: you can rely on the loyalty of the Palmyrans as much as you like, but if the scales tilt towards the enemies, the "friends of the Roman people" are unlikely to donate the last shirt to him, and not the last either.
Throughout their lifestyles, the Patmirians were typical cosmopolitan merchants. Many of the purely mercantile interests even took second, Roman, names, although they were all a symbiosis of Arameans, Semites and Arabs. At the same time, protecting their wealth from the rabble, the Palmyra people used the Roman experience, with constant handouts restraining the indignation of the poor and dissatisfied masses. There were no hungry people in Palmyra. For this, tesserae were distributed - a kind of tokens in the form of coins, which gave the owners the right to participate in distribution of food, funeral feasts and wedding feasts, to visit the theater and enjoy other PLEASURES. With the help of the tessera it was possible to go on a journey and, having presented it in a foreign city to a person who was considered here a “friend and guest” of Palmyra, receive free food and accommodation. In some cases, tessera played the role of talismans under the auspices of a particular deity, so the names of their owners are not Roman, but local. From them you can also find out the names of genera and hereditary profession.
The polytheism of the Palmyrans was explained by the multinational population and the presence of multi-tribal merchants. With the latter, the gods arrived from all corners of the East. Here Atar-gatis, Ishtar, Anahita, Tammuz, Allat, Ardu, Tarate, Manu, Nebo and hundreds of others “coexisted” peacefully. But most of the temples were built in honor of the sun god (Bol, - Bel - Baal). He had dozens of hypostases, for example, Malak-Bol - the Sun of Night, or Mahak-Bed - the Messenger, or Baal Shamen - Thunder and Lightning, he is the Great and Merciful. It is impossible for an uninitiated person to understand Palmyra polytheism right off the bat. It is likely that the Palmyrans themselves, like the Egyptians, did not know all their gods. They would have had neither the time, nor the means, nor the physical strength to honor everyone. Therefore, we will focus on the main thing. This is the solar triad Bel-Bol, Iarih-Bol and Ali-Bol,in many respects similar to the analogous Egyptian triad Ra-Hor-Akht. The main of them is Bel-Bol, and the most famous temple of Palmyra - the Temple of the Sun, which became the prototype for the temple in Baalbek (Baalbek - literally "Valley of the Sun"), was placed outside the city limits. At the same time, it is the largest temple in Palmyra, post Roenniy in the II century.
The temple stands on an extended foundation in the middle of a huge courtyard surrounded by columns. Its length is 60 meters, and its width is 31. Three entrances, decorated with portals, which in turn are decorated with bas-reliefs, lead to the temple. One of them depicts a sacrificial procession: women, covered with veils, march behind camels. This bas-relief is silent proof that it was not Islamists who introduced the chador in the East.
It is almost impossible to describe the entire grandiose complex of the temple, it is a must see. Let's just say that in its grandeur it can be safely placed on a par with the Colosseum and that elements of the Greco-Roman architectural style in it coexist peacefully with Eastern traditions. For example, the floor beams were crowned with sharp triangular teeth, as in Babylon, and the capitals were made of bronze, which were removed and melted down by the marauder legionaries of Aurelian. Aurelian himself tried to erect a similar temple of the Sun in Rome and even spent 3,000 pounds of gold, 1,800 pounds of silver and all the jewels of the Palmyra queen on it.
Later, the Arabs used the ruins of the temple as a support fortress in the fight against the crusaders, the building was badly damaged, but compared to other monuments it has survived to this day in a satisfactory condition.
However, the Temple of the Sun is not the main attraction of Palmyra: the main street, starting from the Arc de Triomphe, built around 200, and passing through the entire city from the south-east to the north-west, created its worldwide fame. The Double Arc de Triomphe does not stand across the street, but at an angle - to straighten the bend in this place. Paradoxically, the same architectural technique was repeated in Northern Palmyra - St. Petersburg: this is the arch of the General Staff Building.
The length of the main street is 1100 meters. It consisted of a roadway 11 meters wide, framed in full length by columns, [34] and two covered sidewalks 6 meters wide. On both sides of the sidewalk there were artisan workshops, which were also shops. Corinthian columns (their total number in antiquity was at least 1124) reached 10 meters in height. On special projections of the columns - consoles, sometimes higher, sometimes lower, sculpted busts of merchants, caravan leaders and persons who rendered services to the city were exhibited. A distinctive feature of the Palmyra people can be considered the fact that they put the busts to each other, and not to themselves. The columns of the central square square - agora - carried about 200 sculptures. Moreover, there was "localism": in the north, the columns were decorated with busts of officials,in the south - by caravan drivers "synodiarchs", in the west - by military leaders, in the east - by archons and senators. All the nobility of the oligarchic republic, where the "Council and the people" ruled under the watchful eye of Rome, was presented very clearly. Later, busts of members of the monarchically ruling Odenate dynasty appeared on the memorial columns. They bore magnificent Roman titles: "Head of Palmyra" ("Ras Tadmor"), consular of Rome, vice-emperor of Rome in the East, leader of the Romans in the East. The busts themselves have come down to us in single copies, [35] but inscriptions that speak volumes have survived:They bore magnificent Roman titles: "Head of Palmyra" ("Ras Tadmor"), consular of Rome, vice-emperor of Rome in the East, leader of the Romans in the East. The busts themselves have come down to us in single copies, [35] but inscriptions that speak volumes have survived:They bore magnificent Roman titles: "Head of Palmyra" ("Ras Tadmor"), consular of Rome, vice-emperor of Rome in the East, leader of the Romans in the East. The busts themselves have come down to us in single copies, [35] but inscriptions that speak volumes have survived:
“This statue is Septimius Hapran, son of Odvnatus, the most radiant senator and head of Palmyra, which Aurelius the Owl, son of Mary the Owl, (who is) the son of Rasaiya, the warrior of the legion that stands in Boy-re, carries him, in the month of Tishri, year 563 ". [36]
"A statue of Septimius Odenatus, the most brilliant consular, our lord, which was erected for him by a community of blacksmiths working in gold and silver, in his honor, in the month of Nisan 569".
During its heyday, Palmyra was built up with luxurious public buildings, porticos, temples, private palaces and baths. There was also a theater in the city, surrounded by a semicircle (again) of columns, though not as large as in other Hellenistic cities, but built in the very center.
At first glance, it seemed that the city, and first of all the "forests" of columns, was entirely made of marble. The marble was actually imported - from Egypt. Until now, the way in which it (and granite) was delivered to Palmyra is unknown (it is possible that either a semi-finished product or a finished product was transported). But the most popular building material in the city was the local shell limestone - a soft stone that successfully imitates marble. Its quarries were located twelve kilometers from the city. The method of extraction was also Egyptian: a wooden stake was driven into a natural crack or drilled hole, which was watered abundantly with water. The stake swelled and tore off the block from the rock. Then the lump was sawed and taken to the city. This limestone was golden in color and white with pink veins. It was he who created the beauty of Palmyra, which has not faded over the centuries.
For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that the Palmyrans themselves did not spare money to decorate their hometown. They decorated the three entrances to the Temple of the Sun with gold panels; there is no need to talk about the costs of silver, copper and bronze. Now it only remains to imagine what a stench stood from endlessly arriving from all over the world caravans and herds in one of the most beautiful cities of antiquity! How the homeless dogs were filthy at the base of the world's most beautiful collection of columns! Presumably, epidemics here were frequent and widespread.
But besides this, living Patmyra, there was another - the Valley of the Tombs. Its uniqueness frightened already in the Middle Ages and gave rise to the most fantastic stories and legends. The tombs here were built from limestone. They represent a room, square or rectangular (4–5 x 5–9 meters), decorated with pilasters and a curved ceiling. Ancestral tombs often resembled small apartments. Inside there were 2–3 sarcophagi, the bas-reliefs of which carried information about the life of the owner. But the owner himself was not inside, he was buried in a dungeon. You will not find embalmed corpses here. Recently, during the construction of the oil pipeline, they came across a tomb that was under the floor of an undiscovered surface structure. Below there was a crypt with three T-shaped passages. The walls contained six rows of horizontal grave niches. Each was covered with a slab with a relief bust of the deceased. In total, three hundred and ninety graves were counted in this tomb. Big genus? - it turned out not. The enterprising people of Palmyra calculated that building their own tomb was costly, so they sold the “places” to other families.
However, among the Palmyra there were those who did not want to "go underground." They built for themselves and their families high stone towers 3-4 stories high (one even five stories high) with balconies. The tombs survived at an altitude of 18–20 meters and in many cases descend into the valley along the slopes of the mountains. The wind howls in them around the clock, instilling fear even on the most reckless. Embalmed corpses used to be buried here, and here you will not find Greek or Roman inscriptions, everything is in Aramaic. They are located above the front door:
"The tomb was built at his own expense by Septimius Odenatus, the most brilliant senator, the son of Hairan, the son of Wahaballat, the son of Natzor, for himself and his sons and grandchildren forever, for the sake of eternal glory", But usually the Roman names of the deceased are not mentioned on the pediments of the tombs.
"Alas! This is the image of Zabda, son of Mokimo, his wife Baltikhan, daughter of Atafni."
The images of the deceased - funerary sculptures - were sculpted in full plausibility and with maximum expressiveness. Even earrings in the ears were carved. There were also paintings made in the style of Fayum portrait painting.
The balcony was built in the middle of the tower height - with pilasters, columns and a roof. There was a bed on it, and on the bed was a statue of the deceased.
One of the most remarkable architectural tombs is the Yamlik Tower: its ceiling is blue as the sky.
The towers are the oldest buildings in Palmyra, and they survived the city. They were not touched by the fateful fate of the state, which had existed for at least two millennia, which at the end experienced a time of loud glory, collapsed from an overestimation of its capabilities and left in memory of itself a captivating image of no less powerful queen than Cleopatra. This is how it happened.
Romans in the 3rd century BC e. found an oligarchic republic in Palmyra. They did not change anything, either without strength, or this situation suited them. However, closer to the II century AD. e. in the state monarchist tendencies prevailed: the Odenates clan came to the fore.
The first of the Odenates received Roman citizenship during the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211). [37] Naturally, he became known as Septimius Odenatus. The next Odenate is already a Roman consul. His son Septimius Khayran received (or conferred) the title of "head of Palmyra" ("Ras Tadmor"). The son of Hairan, the husband of Queen Zenobia, known simply as Odenat, was forced to become a politician and military leader, practically independent from Rome, for which, first of all, the Romans themselves are to blame. Their policy in the East was simply disorderly. Taking advantage of this, the Persian Shah from the Sassanid dynasty Shapur I occupied Armenia, Northern Mesopotamia, Syria and part of Asia Minor. The emperor Valerian opposed him, but the Romans suffered a crushing defeat in the battle of Edes, and the 70,000-strong army was captured. Valerian was taken prisoner with them,where he died some time later: there was no one to save or ransom him, the soldiers had already chosen another emperor for themselves.
The head of Palmyra, Odenat, managed to prevent the Persians from entering his territory, he even defeated several of Shapur's advanced detachments. But Odenath was not at all going to get involved in a serious struggle: flesh of the flesh of the merchant people, he most of all wanted peace in order to calmly trade with both the Romans and the Persians. Shapur did not seem to notice him at all: he slowly retreated to the Euphrates with rich booty. Odenath sent Shapur a letter of obedience. He did not understand this:
- Who is this Odenath who dared to write to his master? If he dared to mitigate the punishment awaiting him, then let him prostrate before me with his hands tied behind his back. If he does not do this, let him know that I will destroy him, and his family, and his state!
Shapur threw Odenata's gifts into the Euphrates.
What was Odenate to do! After the death of other Syrian kings, he turned out to be the only de facto ruler of the Roman East and the remnants of the Roman legions. With the swords of these troops, he cleared the provinces of Asia and Syria from the Persians, and also, crossing the Euphrates, captured the Mesopotamian cities of Nisibis and Karra. Twice he approached the Persian capital. The Roman emperor Gallienus thanked Odenates and celebrated victorious triumphs for him.
In 267, Odenath fell at the hands of his own nephew. Together with him, his eldest son Herod died from his first marriage. Many felt that Odenath's second wife, Ze-nobia, was guiding the nephew's hand. Later, this version was indirectly confirmed, since through dynastic manipulations the title of vice-emperor and "leader of the Romans in the East" was received by the young son of Odenat and Zenobia - Vakha-ballat. Zenobia won the right of regency, and Palmyra, who ruled Syria, part of Asia Minor, Northern Mesopotamia and Northern Arabia, had a queen.
The Arabic name Zubaidat (literally "a woman with beautiful, thick and long hair") was changed into the Greek Zenobia, which means "second guest" and was quite consistent with the status of a second wife. Besides, Zenobia was not a native of Palmyra. She was born into a poor Bedouin family that roamed near the city. They say that at the time of Zenobia's birth, all the planets were in the constellation Cancer, and Saturn shone brightly in the sky. What does this mean? - it is better to ask astrologers. She was also called the beautiful Phoenician, gypsy, Jewish woman. Zenobia herself, not very embarrassed, led her ROD from the queens Dido, Cleopatra and Semiramis. It remains a mystery how Zenobia got into the circle of those in power. Why was it noticed by the rulers of Palmyra?
Contemporaries unanimously testify that she had an extraordinary power of mental influence, in other words, she was a witch. Or a psychic, which is the same thing.
Many descriptions of Zenobia and her images have survived, including on bronze coins minted in Alexandria, which also submitted to the Palmyra queen. These coins are still found on the sides of the Syrian roads. The Roman historian Trebellius Pollio described it as follows:
“She had all the qualities necessary for a great commander; carefully, but with amazing persistence, she carried out her plans; strict with the soldiers, she did not spare herself in the dangers and privations of war. She often went on foot for 3-4 miles at the head of her army. She was never seen in a stretcher, rarely in a chariot, and almost always on horseback. It combined military and political talents to varying degrees. She knew how to adapt to circumstances: the severity of the tyrant, the generosity and generosity of the best kings. Prudent in the campaigns, she surrounded herself with Persian luxury. She went to the assembly in purple clothes, showered with precious stones, with a helmet on her head."
Slender, small in stature, with unusually shining eyes and dazzling teeth, dark complexion and body, Zenobia conquered everyone with her beauty, whether on the Palmyra throne, in a military campaign or on immoderate libations with her soldiers. She was not only a warrior, but also a philosopher. She knew Greek and Coptic languages, made an abbreviated work on the history of the East, created in Palmyra the philosophical school of the Neoplatonists headed by the Greek philosopher Longinus. Having built a summer residence for herself in Yabruda, she hid the first Christians there in the caves. In the same summer her Bedouin relatives roamed, and there she met a fortune teller who predicted her future successes, her betrayal of an old friend and the end of her life - in gold, but in poverty and shame.
Zenobia's religious and philosophical hobbies gave her a reason to quarrel with Shapur I, who was under the influence of Kartir, the head of the Persian magicians. Zenobia gathered a huge army and began to fight the Persians with varying success.
Rome could no longer tolerate the rise of Palmyra in the East. Zenobia has lost all sense of proportion. She officially proclaimed independence from Rome, endowed herself with the title "Augusta", and named her son Augustus. - the name of the emperor. At the end of 270 AD, the heir of Gallienus - Emperor Aurelian - stopped negotiations with the envoys of Palmyra and returned Egypt, which Palmyra owned "illegally." Zenobia immediately reconciled with Shapur, but it was too late to change anything. In 271, a huge Roman army moved to the East - through Asia Minor, the Taurus Mountains and the Cilician Gate. On the banks of the Orontes, the Palmyrans were defeated and retreated to Antioch. The Palmyrian commander Zab-da spread a rumor in the city that the Roman army had been defeated. They found a man who looked like Aurelian and led him through the streets for the amusement of the mob. Having won time in this way,the Palmyrans passed through Antioch without hindrance. Aurelian followed them and soon approached the walls of Palmyra. The siege of the Fortified City began with large supplies of food and weapons. Aurelian reported to Rome: “I cannot describe to you, senatorial fathers, how many throwing machines, arrows and stones they have. There is not a single part of the wall that has not been reinforced with two or three ballistae."
Further, the war between Rome and Palmyra appears in the correspondence.
“Aurelian - Zenobia. Your life will be saved. You can take her somewhere where I will place you. Your jewels, silver, gold, silk, horses, camels, I will send to the Roman treasury. The laws and regulations of the Palmyra people will be respected."
Zenobia to Aurelian. No one else but you dared to ask for what you demand. What can be gained by war must be acquired by valor. You ask me to surrender, as if you were completely unaware that Queen Cleopatra chose to die rather than experience her greatness. The Persian allies we expect are not far away. The Saracens (Arabs) are on our side, just like the Armenians. The Syrian robbers, O Aurelian, have defeated your army. What if these are the troops that we expect from all sides; come? So place your arrogance with which you are now demanding my surrender, as if you were the winner everywhere."
But the allies were in no hurry. Palmyra would not have enough strength for a long siege. The ghost of hunger loomed in the city, diseases began. On a dark night, Zenobia, taking with her the son of Wahaoallat and several close associates, secretly fled the city, deceiving the Roman guard posts. On camels they got
to the Persian border and were already getting into a boat to cross the Euphrates when the pursuit overtook them. Zenobia was captured.
Upon learning of this, the Palmyrans brought the keys to the city to Aurelian. The Emperor treated Zenobia and Wahaballat graciously. The city and townspeople were not affected either. Judgment was appointed over Zenobia's entourage and her military leaders. Many were executed, including the philosopher Longinus. Zenobia herself betrayed him: she refused to write the insulting letter to Aurelian, claiming that it was written by a philosopher. This is how the fortuneteller's first prediction came true.
Aurelian was eager to go to Rome, he was eager to celebrate his triumph. But a few months after Aurelian left Asia with the captive, the Palmyra revolted and killed the Roman garrison. This time, Aurelian, returning with an army, gave the order to destroy the city. This happened in 272. Aurelian destroyed the communal structure of Palmyra, robbed the Temple of the Sun cleanly, transferring all valuable decorations to the new Temple of the Sun, which he was building in Rome.
Zenobia, having lost the kingdom, having survived its ruin and destruction, did not commit suicide, like her "relative" Cleopatra, although she threatened in a letter. But Longinus wrote the letter, and he has been in Hades for a long time.
Once again, her beauty flashed brightly during the triumphal procession, when she was a prisoner, entangled in golden chains, in front of the line of carts with her own treasures, she walked barefoot, with her hair loose and threw such glances into the crowd that many could not bear them and turned away. She spent the rest of her life in Rome, in the villa of her new husband, a Roman senator.
The destroyed Palmyra is no longer resurrected. The traders sent their caravans along other routes. Centuries have passed. The sands of the desert covered the blooming oasis: no one fought with them. The last inhabitants of Palmyra - the Arabs - huddled in the adobe huts in the courtyard of the Temple of the Sun. But even these houses were eventually emptied. Instantly and as if from nowhere appeared under the Syrian sky, the power just as suddenly crumbled. "Isn't this a dream?"
V. Batselev