Pearl of the Desert

Abstract

This volume explores the oasis city of Palmyra in the Syrian Desert through an in-depth examination of the site’s unique archeology and history. Palmyra is best known as the Pearl in the Desert of the Roman Empire, a vibrant living center that stood at the heart of flourishing international networks of trade and politics in the first three centuries CE. It is from this period that the vast majority of the material and written sources stem, and it is Palmyra’s position as a city, caught between the empires of Rome and Parthia, that is the main focus of the book. However, the volume also touches on Palmyra before the Roman period as well as after Zenobia’s rebellion and the city’s sack in 272 CE and again in 273 CE, and it traces Palmyra’s developments over the years—from the events of the Umayyad period to the arrival of the first European tourists. Finally, the volume explores the tragic eruption of civil war in Syria in the twenty-first century, showing how in modern times, Palmyra has once again become enmeshed in international political networks as well as being drawn into global debates about the trade and protection of cultural heritage.