Palmyra and the Military

Abstract

Abstract Palmyra was more than a caravan city. Throughout the Roman period, it served as an important recruitment centre for auxiliary units to the Roman legions. Palmyrenes were exceptionally skilled archers and riders, swelling the ranks of the Roman army in auxiliary alae, numeri, and cohorts of sagittarii (archers) and dromedarii (camel riders). In late antiquity, Palmyra maintained its function as a recruitment centre, but its military importance grew considerably after the strengthening of the eastern frontier under the reign of Diocletian, when a monumental camp, the so-called Camp of Diocletian, was constructed within its urban perimeter. This chapter will briefly explore the relation between Palmyra and the military in the Roman and Late Antique periods.