Septimius Vaballathus (
Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; ar, وهب اللات, translit=Wahb Allāt; 259 – c. 274 AD) was emperor of the
Palmyrene Empire
The Palmyrene Empire was a short-lived breakaway state from the Roman Empire resulting from the Crisis of the Third Century. Named after its capital city, Palmyra, it encompassed the Roman provinces of Syria Palaestina, Arabia Petraea, and Egypt, ...
centred at
Palmyra
Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early secon ...
in the
region of Syria. He came to power as a child under his regent mother
Zenobia
Septimia Zenobia ( Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the city ...
, who led a revolt against the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...
and formed the independent Palmyrene Empire.
Early life
Lucius Julius Aurelius Septimius Vaballathus was born and raised in the city of
Palmyra
Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early secon ...
, an oasis settlement in the
Syrian Desert in 259 to the king of kings of Palmyra,
Odaenathus, and his second wife, queen consort of Palmyra,
Zenobia
Septimia Zenobia ( Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the city ...
. Vaballathus is the Latinized form of his Palmyrene name, ''Wahballāt'', "Gift of
Allāt". As the Arabian goddess Allāt
came to be identified with
Athena
Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded ...
, he used ''Athenodorus'' as the Greek form of his name. He had a half-brother,
Hairan I
Septimius Herodianus or Hairan I ( 240 – 267) was a son and co-king of Odaenathus of Palmyra. Through his father's marriage to Zenobia, Hairan I had two half-brothers, Hairan II and Vaballathus.
Life
Hairan was born to Odaenathus and his fi ...
, born from his father and another woman, who reigned as co-king of kings with his father, and a lesser-known brother,
Hairan II
Hairan II was a Palmyrene prince, the son of king Odaenathus and, possibly, his second wife Zenobia.
Seal RTP 736
The existence of Hairan was established by the discovery of a lead seal (code named RTP 736). The seal bears the images of two pri ...
. He also might have had other brothers, who were mentioned in (and only known from) the ''Augustan History'', Herennianus and Timolaus. Herennianus may be Hairan; while Timolaus is probably a fabrication.
As king
Succession to the throne
In 267, his father Odaenathus and half-brother Hairan I were murdered by a relative, perhaps a cousin of Odaenthus's, named
Maeonius
Maeonius (died c. 267), or Maconius, was a short-lived ruler of Palmyra.
Life
He was the nephew (according to Zonaras xii.24) or the cousin (according to '' Historia Augusta'', which lists him among the Thirty Tyrants) of Odaenathus of Palm ...
. Maeonius ruled as a usurper and crowned himself emperor but was almost immediately killed, as no inscription or evidence for his rule exists. With Odaenathus and his oldest son dead, the succession came to his younger son, Vaballathus. The young Vaballathus was made king (''rex consul imperator dux Romanorum'', "illustrious King of Kings" and ''
corrector totius orientis'') of the Palmyrene Empire at eight years old. Being too young to rule, his mother Zenobia ruled as queen regent and was the ''de facto'' ruler of Palmyra.
Reign
Initially the
Roman emperor Aurelian recognized Vaballathus' rule, perhaps because Aurelian was engaged in a major conflict with the
Gallic Empire in the west and hesitated to incite open warfare with the Palmyrene Empire. This mutual recognition is testified by early coins issued by
Zenobia
Septimia Zenobia ( Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the city ...
under Vaballathus's name, but also acknowledging Aurelian as emperor. In the coins, Aurelian is shown wearing a radiate crown that signifies his supremacy as emperor, while Vaballathus is crowned with a laurel wreath. The Alexandrian minted coins showed Aurelian in his first year and Vaballathus in his fourth year with Vaballathus adopting honorary titles possibly inherited from his father Odaenathus. Although the Palmyrene Empire was centred in
Palmyra
Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early secon ...
, Vaballathus and Zenobia probably spent most of their reign in
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...
, Syria's administrative capital. The relationship between the Roman Empire and the newly established Palmyrene empire deteriorated, and a series of Palmyrene conquests, carried out under the protective show of subordination to Rome, began around 270.
In October of 270, a Palmyrene army of 70,000 invaded
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
, and declared Zenobia, Vaballathus's mother, the Queen of Egypt. The Roman general
Tenagino Probus was able to regain
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
in November, but was defeated and escaped to the fortress of
Babylon, where he was besieged and killed by
Zabdas, a Palmyrene general, who continued his march south and secured Egypt. Afterward, in 271,
Zabbai Zabbai is a name of uncertain meaning.
It appears in the Bible in Ezra , and in Nehemiah , where Zabbai is given as the father of Baruch, who "earnestly repaired" part of the walls of Jerusalem
The Walls of Jerusalem ( he, חומות ירו ...
, another Palmyrene general serving Zenobia, started military operations in
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...
, and was joined by Zabdas in the spring of that year. The Palmyrenes subdued the Asian province of
Galatia, and occupied the regional capital of
Ancyra
Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, mak ...
, marking the greatest extent of the Palmyrene expansion.
Aurelian disappeared from Palmyrene coinage, while Zenobia and Vaballathus adopted the titles of
''Augusta'' and ''Augustus'', respectively. Vaballathus was named in coins "King, Emperor, ''Dux Romanum'' leader of the Romans" and an open rebellion against Rome started.
Defeat
In 272, Emperor Aurelian crossed the
Bosporus
The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...
and advanced quickly through
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...
. While the Roman general
Marcus Aurelius Probus
Marcus Aurelius Probus (; 230–235 – September 282) was Roman emperor from 276 to 282. Probus was an active and successful general as well as a conscientious administrator, and in his reign of six years he secured prosperity for the inner pr ...
regained Egypt from Palmyra, the emperor continued his march and reached
Tyana
Tyana ( grc, Τύανα), earlier known as Tuwana ( Hieroglyphic Luwian: ; Akkadian: ) and Tuwanuwa ( Hittite: ) was an ancient city in the Anatolian region of Cappadocia, in modern Kemerhisar, Niğde Province, Central Anatolia, Turkey. It w ...
.
Tyana fell and was lost to Palmyrene control; Aurelian up to that point had destroyed every city that resisted him, but he allegedly spared Tyana. Whatever the reason for his clemency, it paid off, as many more cities submitted to him upon seeing that the emperor would not exact revenge upon them.
Passing through
Issus, Aurelian defeated Zenobia in the
Battle of Immae near
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...
. The Palmyrene armies retreated to Antioch, then later
Emesa, while Aurelian advanced and
took the former. The defeat at Emesa by the Romans forced the Palmyrene armies to evacuate to the capital. The Romans began a siege of Palmyra, and tried to breach the city defences several times but were repelled, however, the situation worsened, so Zenobia, Vaballathus's mother, left the city and headed east to ask the
Sasanian Empire for help. The Romans followed the queen, arrested her near the Euphrates, and brought her back to the emperor. Soon after, the Palmyrene citizens asked for peace, and the city was surrendered.
The end of Vaballathus's nominal rule came after losing the siege of Palmyra. Vaballathus, his mother and her council were taken to Emesa and put on trial. Most of the high-ranking Palmyrene officials were executed, while Zenobia and Vaballathus's fates remain uncertain. Although Aurelian had most of his prisoners executed, he most likely spared the queen and her son to parade them in his planned
triumph
The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
.
According to
Zosimus, Vaballathus died on the way to Rome, but this theory has been neither confirmed nor disproved. Other sources have implied that after shipping the defeated Zenobia and Vaballathus to Rome, Aurelian allowed both of the rebels to live, but only after they had been marched through the streets of the imperial city in accordance with Roman traditions of celebrating military victories with a triumphal procession. This would have been humiliating, but better than death. This theory is supported by Aurelian's similar treatment of the Tetrici,
Tetricus I
Gaius Pius Esuvius Tetricus was the emperor of the Gallic Empire from 271 to 274 AD. He was originally the (governor) of Gallia Aquitania and became emperor after the murder of Emperor Victorinus in 271, with the support of Victorinus's mother, ...
and
Tetricus II of the
Gallic Empire, long-time enemies of Rome whom the emperor allowed to retire following their defeat at the
Battle of Châlons in 274.
The fate of Palmyra, however took a turn for the worse. In 273, a revolution was started by Septimius Apsaios who declared a relative of Zenobia,
Septimius Antiochus, as ''Augustus''. Aurelian marched to Palmyra, razing it. Buildings were smashed, citizens clubbed and massacred and Palmyra's holiest temples pillaged. The city was reduced and disappeared from historical records from that time, thus ending the ascendancy of Palmyra over Roman Asia Minor.
Ancestors
References
Works cited
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External links
Coinage of Vabalathus*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaballathus
Rulers of Palmyra
Emesene dynasty
Vaballathus
Aurelii
Septimii
3rd-century monarchs in the Middle East
3rd-century Romans
250s births
270s deaths
3rd-century Arabs
Palmyrene Empire