File:Tessera_from_Palmyra.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Odaenathus
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Septimius Odaenathus (; ; – 267) was the founding king (malik) of the Palmyrene Kingdom who ruled from Palmyra, Syria. He elevated the status of his kingdom from a regional center subordinate to Rome into a formidable state in South-West Asia. Odaenathus was born into an aristocratic Palmyrene family that had received Roman citizenship in the 190s under the Severan Dynasty. He was the son of Hairan, the descendant of Nasor. The circumstances surrounding his rise are ambiguous; he became the lord (ras) of the city, a position created for him, as early as the 240s and by 258, he was styled a con
Key facts
- Royalty.name
- Odaenathus65x65pxأذينة
- Royalty.title
- King of PalmyraKing of Kings of the East(Western Aramaic: Mlk Mlk dy Mdnh)
- Royalty.image
- Tessera from Palmyra.png
- Royalty.alt
- Head of a ruler wearing a diadem on a clay tessera, possibly of Odaenathus
- Royalty.caption
- A clay tessera bearing a possible depiction of Odaenathus wearing a tiara
- Royalty.reign
- 263–267
- Royalty.succession
- King of Kings of the East
- Royalty.predecessor
- Title created
- Royalty.successor
- Vaballathus
- Royalty.regent
- Hairan I
- Royalty.reg type
- Co-ruler
- Royalty.succession2
- King of Palmyra
- Royalty.reign2
- 260–267
- Royalty.predecessor2
- Himself as Ras of Palmyra
- Royalty.successor2
- Vaballathus
- Royalty.succession3
- Ras (lord) of Palmyra
- Royalty.reign3
- 240s–260
- Royalty.predecessor3
- Office established
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Article
25 sectionsContents
- Name, family and appearance
- Odaenathus I
- Rise
- ''Ras'' of Palmyra
- Governor of Syria Phoenice
- Reign
- Persian war of 260 and pacifying Syria
- Ruler of the East
- First Persian campaign 262
- King of Kings of the East
- Relation with Rome
- Administration and royal image
- Coinage
- Second Persian campaign 266 and war in Anatolia
- Assassination
- Theories of instigators and motives
- Marriages and descendants
- Burial and succession
- Legacy and reception
- Modern skepticism
- Notes
- References
- Citations
- Sources
- External links
Septimius Odaenathus (; ; – 267) was the founding king (malik) of the Palmyrene Kingdom who ruled from Palmyra, Syria. He elevated the status of his kingdom from a regional center subordinate to Rome into a formidable state in South-West Asia. Odaenathus was born into an aristocratic Palmyrene family that had received Roman citizenship in the 190s under the Severan Dynasty. He was the son of Hairan, the descendant of Nasor. The circumstances surrounding his rise are ambiguous; he became the lord (ras) of the city, a position created for him, as early as the 240s and by 258, he was styled a consularis, indicating a high status in the Roman Empire.
The defeat and captivity of Emperor Valerian at the hands of the Sasanian emperor Shapur I in 260 left the eastern Roman provinces largely at the mercy of the Persians. Odaenathus remained on the side of Rome; assuming the title of king, he led the Palmyrene army, attacking the Persians before they could cross the Euphrates to the eastern bank, inflicting a considerable defeat. He took the side of Emperor Gallienus, the son and successor of Valerian, who was facing the attempted usurpation of Fulvius Macrianus. The rebel declared his sons emperors, leaving one in Syria and taking the other with him to Europe. Odaenathus attacked the remaining usurper and quelled the rebellion. He was rewarded with many exceptional titles by the Emperor, who formalized his self-established position in the East. In reality, the Emperor may have done little but accept the declared nominal loyalty of Odaenathus.