Hello, and welcome to the history of Rome, episode 119, rest a tour, orbis.

After a grueling march across the empire and an even more grueling summer campaign in

the desert, Aurelian finally defeated Palmyra and captured Queen Zenovia in late 272 AD.

Under different circumstances, a victory of this magnitude might have earned the emperor

a rest from his labors, but no such luck.

No sooner had Palmyra fallen, then messengers arrived with the news that the Carpi, a Germanic

tribe situated north of the Danube, had taken advantage of the emperor's eastern campaign,

and were now flooding down into Moesia and Thrace.

Leaving behind a garrison under the command of a lieutenant named Marcelinus, the indefatigable

Aurelian gathered up his equally indefatigable army and marched back to the Danube.

An emperor's work is never done.

Once Aurelian had left Palmyra though, some of the leaders of the defeated city began

to regret their surrender.

Apparently, the ambitions of these leading citizens was only stifled when the emperor

was right there on top of them.

Now that he wasn't around, it was time to go back to dreaming about an independent

Palmyrene kingdom again.

These leading men quickly joined into conspiracy that centered around Zenovia's youngest son,

still basically an infant, but the best they could do on short notice.

The men of Palmyra grew bold enough in their plans that they actually approached Marcelinus,

though Roman garrison commander, offering him great rewards if he and his men joined

their cause.

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