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Maeonius (died 267), or Maconius, was a
''The Lives of the Thirty Pretenders''
at LacusCurtius 260s deaths 3rd-century Arab people Thirty Tyrants (Roman) Palmyrene monarchs Year of birth unknown Palmyrene Empire {{ancientRome-bio-stub
Maeonius (died 267), or Maconius, was a usurper
A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it a ...
who, according to the ''Historia Augusta
The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, Caesar (title), designated heirs and Roman usurper, usurpers from 117 to 284. S ...
'', briefly ruled over Palmyra. He is included in the list of the Thirty Tyrants The Thirty Tyrants (, ''hoi triákonta týrannoi'') were an oligarchy that briefly ruled Classical Athens, Athens from 404 BC, 404 BCE to 403 BC, 403 BCE. Installed into power by the Sparta, Spartans after the Athenian surrender in the Peloponnesian ...
.
Life
He was the nephew (according to Zonaras xii.24) or the cousin (according to ''Historia Augusta
The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, Caesar (title), designated heirs and Roman usurper, usurpers from 117 to 284. S ...
'') of Odaenathus
Septimius Odaenathus (Greek language, Greek: Ὀδαίναθος, Palmyrene Aramaic: 𐡠𐡣𐡩𐡮𐡶 (file:Dynt.png, 35px), ; ; 220 – 267) was the founder king (malik) of the List of Palmyrene monarchs, Palmyrene Kingdom who ruled fr ...
of Palmyra
Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...
, who had taken control of the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire after the defeat in battle and capture of Emperor Valerian by Shapur I
Shapur I (also spelled Shabuhr I; ) was the second Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings of Iran. The precise dating of his reign is disputed, but it is generally agreed that he ruled from 240 to 270, with his father Ardashir I as co-regent u ...
of the Sasanian Empire
The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
.
According to ''Historia Augusta'', Maeonius killed Odaenathus and his son Hairan during a celebration, because of a conspiracy organised by Zenobia
Septimia Zenobia (Greek: Ζηνοβία, Palmyrene Aramaic: , ; 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 ...
, wife of Odaenathus, who wanted her sons to succeed her husband instead of Hairan (who was the son of Odaenathus by another woman). According to Gibbon, the murder was revenge for a short confinement imposed on Maeonius by Odaenathus for being disrespectful.
Zonaras tells that Maeonius was killed immediately after the murder of Odaenathus, while ''Historia'' has Maeonius proclaiming himself emperor, with Zenobia having him soon killed, in order to take the power for herself.
References
* * Gibbon, Edward, ''The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire'', "Chapter XI: Reign Of Claudius, Defeat Of The Goths. -- Part III."''The Lives of the Thirty Pretenders''
at LacusCurtius 260s deaths 3rd-century Arab people Thirty Tyrants (Roman) Palmyrene monarchs Year of birth unknown Palmyrene Empire {{ancientRome-bio-stub