Introduction

At the same time that the Roman Empire extended power across the Euphrates and into Mesopotamia in the second half of the second century AD, the nature of Roman power changed at Palmyra also. Rome’s presence in the Near East had been central to Palmyra’s emergence as an important city, and from the middle of the first century BC to the early third century AD Roman power and influence at Palmyra continued to grow. There is a considerable corpus of textual and epigraphic material that indicates the unique nature of Palmyra’s status and its relationship with the Romans during this period. Until the reign of Trajan, it seems that Roman involvement with Palmyra was driven largely by economic factors. In the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian the earliest evidence emerges for a Roman military interest in Palmyra, this taking the form of recruiting Palmyrene archers for service in other parts of the empire. It is not until the years immediately following Lucius Verus’ extension of power along the Euphrates and in Mesopotamia that evidence indicating a permanent military presence at Palmyra itself emerges. The Palmyrene presence on the middle Euphrates and Rome’s increasing power at Palmyra became an important factor in Rome’s extension of control along the Euphrates after Verus’ victories, and it bolstered Roman power in Mesopotamia. Roman power at Palmyra became more formalized as a result of Rome’s growing military interest in Palmyra and its territory, and this culminated in the context of territorial reorganization under the Severans. Before this, Roman power was deliberately less formal so as not to interfere with Palmyra’s trading success.