Palmyra (Tadmur)

The sack of Palmyra and the capture of Zenobia by Aurelian in 273 C.E. have been dealt with extensively in the literature since at least the publication of Edward Gibbon's opus magnum "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" in the last quarter of the 18th century.

Palmyra was not totally obliterated after Aurelian; realizing its strategic importance, Diocletian built a fortified camp in it twenty years later, and Justinian restored its ramparts in the sixth century. The city was sacked and its inhabitants massacred in 745 C.E. at the hand of Marwan II the Ass (1), the last ʾUmayyād Caliph. Important works of fortification were performed in the twelfth century, converting the temple of Bel into a virtual fortress, and were followed by the construction of a citadel on a neighboring hill under the Mamlūk. The site had been gradually abandoned and forgotten since, until its rediscovery by European travelers in the late seventeenth century.

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A magnificent mosaic pavement was discovered in Palmyra in 1940; its main part is currently preserved at the National Museum of Damascus. It is a representation of the legend of Cassiopeia, queen of Abyssinia and mother of the lovely Andromeda. Boasting that her beauty eclipsed that of all the Nereids, Cassiopeia angered the sea god Poseidon, who decided to annihilate Abyssinia in revenge. A compromise was reached by offering fair Andromeda to be devoured by Cetus, the sea monster (2). Andromeda was therefore tied up to a rock on a cliff facing the sea until she was miraculously rescued by Perseus, a deus ex machina who managed to transform the beast into stone by exposing him to the deadly stare of Medusa's severed head.

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This 3rd-century C.E. mosaic displays a nude Cassiopeia discarding her mantle before Poseidon, her rivals appearing perplexed at her feet. The art is not at all compatible with the typically oriental and Parthian models prevalent in Palmyra. It rather evokes Antioch's workshops, where it was probably manufactured.

(1) Then a positive epithet to praise his patience and perseverance.

(2) Or the Kraken, according to Hollywood and the "Clash of the Titans". 

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Gérard Degeorge. Syrie. Art, histoire, architecture. Hermann, éditeurs des sciences et des arts 1983.