Battle of Emesa
34°43′N 36°43′E / 34.72°N 36.71°E
Battle of Emesa | |
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Part of The Emesa, Syria | |
Result |
Roman victory
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Zabdas
Engaged:
60,000 infantry
5,000 cavalry
(According to Zosimus)
The Battle of Emesa was fought in 272 between the Roman armies led by their emperor Aurelian and the Palmyrene forces led by their empress, Zenobia and general Zabdas.
Background
Aurelian had started a campaign to reconquer the secessionist Palmyrene Empire, led by Empress Zenobia, regent of her son, Emperor Vaballathus. The Palmyrene Empire had already conquered most of the former provinces of the Roman east, including territory spanning from Ancyra to Alexandria.
In 272, Aurelian crossed the
Entering
Preparations
Roman preparations
Aurelian, after his victory over Zenobia at Immae and over the Palmyrene garrison at Daphne, briefly stayed in Antioch to secure the city and attend to its administrative and governmental matters.[5] The most important factor of the emperor's temporary residence in the city was that it enabled him to gather reinforcements for the army; the legions of Mesopotamia sent detachments, Tyana provided levies while auxiliary clubmen from Palestine were enlisted in the ranks of the Roman Army.[5]
Palmyrene preparations
Aurelian's delay in the pursuit of the Palmyrene army allowed Aurelian to rest and reinforce his army, but it bought time for Zenobia to do the same. Similarly, she took up residence in Emesa, assembled the remnants of her army and brought in auxiliaries from her allies.[5][6]
Despite the empress's setback at Immae, she was not defeated yet. Her army was mauled, but not shattered. Zabdas was still a capable general whose cavalry was superior to Aurelian's both in quality and quantity, and Zenobia still held on to most of her power and influence.[6]
The Battle
As at Immae, Zabdas formed up the Palmyrene army on a flat plain near Emesa where he could deploy his cavalry. Aurelian accepted battle on the ground chosen by Zabdas, and attempted to repeat the ruse he conducted in Immae to order his cavalry to pretend to flee. Whatsoever, the Palmyrene heavy cavalry attacked furiously, repelling the Roman cavalry.[6] The Romans were close to losing but as at Immae, the Palmyrene heavy cavalry, motivated by the thrill of a sure victory, dispersed in the pursuit of the Roman cavalry, and were massacred by the Roman infantry and the Palestinian clubmen.[6]
Aftermath
The defeat at the Battle of Emesa forced what was left of the Palmyrene armies to retreat to the capital of their empire, the city of Palmyra where Zenobia and her son sought to gather forces to resist Aurelian's legions.[7] Unlike Zenobia's coordinated and orderly withdrawal from Antioch, her withdrawal was tremendously hastened forcing her to leave the imperial treasury behind at the city.[6]
The Romans began to besiege Palmyra, and tried to breach the city's defences several times. But, the Roman attacks were repelled by the city's defenders.
What became of Zenobia and her son is unknown, but the fate of her city, Palmyra, however, was clearer and certainly more bleak. The city, back under Roman rule, revolted again, but was sacked by Aurelian who looted its temples, massacred its citizens, and destroyed the city's fortifications so that it may never again become a threat to Roman rule in the east.
References
- ^ Bryce 2014, p. 307.
- ^ Watson 2004, p. 71.
- ^ a b Watson 2004, p. 72.
- ^ Bryce 2014, p. 309.
- ^ a b c Southern 2008, p. 138.
- ^ a b c d e Southern 2008, p. 139.
- ^ Bryce 2014, p. 310.
- ^ Stoneman 1992, p. 175.
- ^ Watson 2004, p. 77.
Sources
- Bryce, Trevor (March 2014). Ancient Syria: A Three Thousand Year History. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-964667-8.
- Southern, Pat (1 January 2008). Empress Zenobia: Palmyra's Rebel Queen. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-84725-034-6.
- Stoneman, Richard (1992). Palmyra and Its Empire: Zenobia's Revolt Against Rome. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-08315-2.
- Watson, Alaric (14 January 2004). Aurelian and the Third Century. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-90815-8.
External links
- "Vaballathus and Zenobia", De Imperatoribus Romanis.