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Byzantine Sources on Eastern Lands and Peoples UNION ACADÉMIQUE INTERNATIONALE (UAI) INTERNATIONAL UNION OF ACADEMIES (IUA) Project 69: China and the Mediterranean World ¥]-^µ BYZANTINE SOURCES ON EASTERN LANDS AND PEOPLES ¥]-^µ Compiled by Samuel N.C. Lieu President UAI –IUA (2017-2021) Bye-Fellow of Robinson College Cambridge ¥]-^µ Online version as at 10.9.2020 CAMBRIDGE ¥]-^µ ANCIENT INDIA AND IRAN TRUST ZOSIMUS On the Empire of Palmyra Samuel N.C. Lieu ¥]-^µ SELECTIONS FROM THE HISTORIA NOVA The so-called ‘New History’ (Historia Nova) of Zosimus Comes et Exadvocatus Fisci is second only in importance as a narrative source on the History of the Later Roman Empire to the ‘History’ (Res Gestae) of Ammianus Marcellinus. Like Ammianus, Zosimus was a pagan and the value of his work is particularly felt in the periods covered by the lost first thirteen books of Ammianus (96-353 CE). Zosimus narrative also goes down to 410 CE, thus giving a fuller account of the Invasions than does the Res Gestae of Ammianus which finished with the events of 378 CE. For the period from 270-404 CE, Zosimus made extensive use of the now lost historical work of the pagan historian Eunapius of Sardis and he might even have had access to the now lost books of Ammianus except we have no idea when those books cease to be circulated. Zosimus is the only early Byzantine historian to have given a full account of the rise of the Empire Palmyra under Odaenathus and its fall under the redoubtable Zenobia. For UAI Project 69: China and the Mediterranean World, the importance of the history of Palmyra as a trading centre is of utmost importance as the only silk textile of certain Chinese manufacture and embroidered with legible Chinese writing was found in one of the tower tombs of the city. Zosimus has left us the only detailed account of the unexpected rise of the city to a small but transitory mini-Empire in the Roman Near East. No less important is Zosimus’ account, albeit more disjointed, of the invasion of the Roman Empire by the Huns, probably the later West Iranian descendants of the Chinese Xiongnu. ¥]-^µ SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY Edition: L. Mendelssohn, Zosimi comitis et exadocati fisci Historia Nova (Leipzig, 1887). Edition with translation: F. Paschoud, Zosime, Histoire Nouvelle, 6 vols. (Paris, 1971-1989) Translations: J.J. Buchanan and H.T. Davis, Zosimus: Historia Nova (San Antonio, 1967) S. Rebenich, Zosimos. Neue Geschichte (Stuttgart 1990) R.T. Ridley, Zosimus, New History, Byzantina Australiensia 2 (Canberra, 1982) On Palmyra as a trading centre: Seland, E.H., Ships of the Desert and Ships of the Sea: Palmyra in the World Trade of the First Three Centuries CE, Philippika 101 (Harrasowitz 2016). On the Palmyrene Empire: U. Hartmann, Das pamyrenische Teilreich, Oriens et Occidens 2 (Stuttgart, 2001). 2 Byzantine Sources on Eastern Lands and Peoples SELECTIONS FROM ZOSIMUS Historia Nova ed. L. Mendelssohn (Leipzig, 1887) ¥]-^µ The rise and fall of Palmyra Extracts from I,39-61 39 Tῶν δὲ Σκυθῶν τὴν Ἑλλάδα κάκιστα 39 The Scythians had brought worst διαθέντων καὶ τὰς Ἀθήνας αὐτὰς misfortune over Greece and even captured ἐκπολιορκησάντων, Γαλλιηνὸς μὲν ἐπὶ Athens. Gallienus, who had already occupied τὴν πρὸς τούτους μετῄει μάχην ἤδη τὴν Thrace, now tried to measure himself against Θρᾴκην καταλαβόντας, τοῖς δὲ περὶ τὴν them; to remedy the desperate situation in the ἑῴαν πράγμασιν οὖσιν ἐν ἀπογνώσει Orient, the emperor appointed Odaenathus, a βοηθεῖν Ὀδαίναθον ἔταξεν, ἄνδρα man from Palmyra, whom the rulers had Παλμυρηνὸν καὶ ἐκ προγόνων τῆς παρὰ considered particularly worthy of honour on τῶν βασιλέων ἀξιωθέντα τιμῆς: ὃ δὲ τοῖς account of his ancestors. He formed as strong αὐτόθι λελειμμένοις στρατοπέδοις δύνα- a force as possible from among the legions μιν ἀναμίξας ὅτι πλείστην οἰκείαν ἐπεξῄει remaining in the country and resolutely τῷ Σαπώρῃ κατὰ τὸ καρτερόν, καὶ τάς τε marched with it against Shapur, recaptured πόλεις ἀνεκτᾶτο τὰς ἤδη παρὰ Περσῶν the cities already occupied by the Persians ἐχομένας, καὶ Νίσιβιν εἰλημμένην μὲν ὑπὸ and destroyed Nisibis, which he had taken in Σαπώρου τὰ Περσῶν δὲ φρονοῦσαν ἑλὼν the first onslaught, right down to the ἐξ ἐφόδου κατέσκαψεν. 2. Ἐπεξελθὼν δὲ foundation walls; it had fallen into Shapur's μέχρι Kτησιφῶντος αὐτοῖς οὐχ ἅπαξ hands and favoured the Persian cause. ἀλλὰ καὶ δεύτερον, Πέρσας μὲν τοῖς 2. Odaenathus pursued the enemy as far as οἰκείοις ἐναπέκλεισεν, ἀγαπῶντας εἰ Ctesiphon, not once but twice, and locked the παῖδας καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ ἑαυτοὺς Persians in their own fortresses, so that they περισώσαιεν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὰ περὶ τὴν ἤδη must have been happy to save their children πεπορθημένην χώραν, ὡς οἷός τε ἦν, εὖ and women and themselves. In the area διετίθει: ἐπεὶ δὲ διατρίβων κατὰ τὴν already plundered, he established order as Ἕμισαν καί τινα γενέθλιον ἄγων ἑορτὴν well as possible. However, when he was in ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς ἀνῃρέθη, τῶν ἐκεῖσε Emesa, he was the victim of an assassination πραγμάτων ἀντιλαμβάνεται Zηνοβία, at a birthday party. Zenobia, the wife of συνοικοῦσα μὲν Ὀδαινάθῳ, φρονήματι Odaenathus, took over the further δὲ ἀνδρείῳ χρωμένη καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐκείνῳ management of state affairs in this country; συνόντων τὴν ἴσην εἰσφέρουσα τοῖς however, she was a woman of masculine πράγμασιν ἐπιμέλειαν. thinking, who, with the help of her husband's partisans, devoted the same care to tasks of * * * government. 44 Tῶν Σκυθῶν τοίνυν, ὡς διεξῆλθον, 44 When, as I have said, the Scythians had ἐσκεδασμένων καὶ τὸ πολὺ μέρος ἀπο- dispersed and lost most of their people, βαλόντων, μειζόνων ἐφιεμένη ἡ Zηνοβία Zenobia began to pursue higher goals and Byzantine Sources on Eastern Lands and Peoples 3 πραγμάτων Zάβδαν ἐπὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον sent Zabdas to Egypt, where a local named ἐκπέμπει, Tιμαγένους ἀνδρὸς Αἰγυπτίου Timagenes wanted to rule over the country of τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς Αἰγύπτου Παλμυρηνοῖς Palmyra. An army of Palmyrenes, Syrians καταπραττομένου. συναχθέντος δὲ τοῦ and barbarians, 70,000 men strong, whom the στρατεύματος ἐκ Παλμυρηνῶν καὶ Egyptians faced with 50,000 warriors, now Σύρων καὶ βαρβάρων ἐς ἑπτὰ μυριάδας, gathered, and a massive fight ensued, in καὶ Αἰγυπτίων δὲ πέντε μυριάσιν ἀντι- which the Palmyrenes proved to be far παραταξαμένων, μάχης καρτερᾶς γενο- superior in battle. They therefore stationed μένης περιῆσαν οἰ Παλμυρηνοὶ παρὰ five thousand men in the country and πολὺ τῷ πολέμῳ, καὶ φρουρὰν ἐγκατα- returned home. 2. When Probus, who had στήσαντες πεντακισχιλίων ἀνδρῶν been commissioned by the emperor to clear ἀνεχώρησαν. 2. Πρόβος δὲ καθῆραι τῶν the sea from pirates, saw that the Palmyrenes καταποντιστῶν τὴν θάλατταν ἐκ βασι- held Egypt, he attacked their garrison using λέως ταχθείς, ἐπειδὴ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἔγνω his own force and that of the Palmyrene παρὰ Παλμυρηνῶν ἐχομένην, ἅμα τῇ σὺν enemies among the Egyptians in order to αὐτῷ δυνάμει καὶ Αἰγυπτίων ὅσοι μὴ τὰ drive them out of the country. The Palmy- Παλμυρηνῶν φρονοῦντες ἔτυχον renes then repeated their campaign and ἐπιθέμενος τὴν μὲν φρουρὰν ἐξέβαλεν. Probus also gathered an army of Egyptians αὖθις δὲ Παλμυρηνῶν ἐπιστρατευ- and Libyans, whereby the victory fell to the σάντων, συναγαγόντος δὲ καὶ Πρόβου Egyptians and they were able to drive the στρατόπεδον Αἰγυπτίων τε καὶ Λιβύων, Palmyrenes out of their border areas. Probus ὑπέρτεροι μὲν ἦσαν Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ τῶν now occupied a mountain range near ὁρίων τῆς Αἰγύπτου Παλμυρηνοὺς Babylon and tried to cut off the enemies' ἤλαυνον, Πρόβου δὲ τὸ πρὸς τῇ access to Syria here, but Timagenes, given Bαβυλῶνι καταλαβόντος ὅρος καὶ ταύτῃ that he was familiar with the place, seized the τὴν ἐπὶ Συρίαν τῶν πολεμίων πάροδον crest line with two thousand Palmyrenes, ἀποκλείοντος, Tιμαγένης ἅτε δὴ ἴδρις attacked the unsuspecting Egyptians and τῶν τόπων, ἅμα δισχιλίοις Παλμυρηνῶν wore them down. Probus entered captivity τὴν ἄκραν τοῦ ὅρους κατασχών, ἀδοκή- with them and therein ended up committing τοις ἐπιστὰς τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις διέφθειρεν. suicide. 45 Egypt was now under the control ἐν οἷς καὶ ὁ Πρόβος ἁλοὺς ἑαυτὸν of the Palmyrenes … ἀποσφάττει. 45 1. Tῆς Αἰγύπτου τοίνυν ὑπὸ Παλμυρηνοῖς γενομένης, … 50 Διῳκημένων δὲ ω|δε τῶν περὶ τὴν 50 Aurelianus had solved the problems Ἰταλίαν καὶ Παιονίαν, ὁ βασιλεὺς existing in Italy and Pannonia in such a way στρατείαν ἐπὶ Παλμυρηνοὺς ἄγειν that he was now thinking of a campaign διενοεῖτο, κρατοῦντας ἤδη τῶν τε against the Palmyrenes. These same already Αἰγυπτιακῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τῆς ἑῴας ἁπάσης ruled over the Egyptian provinces and the καὶ μέχρις Ἀγκύρας τῆς Γαλατίας, entire Orient up to Ankyra in Galatia; yes, ἐθελήσαντας δὲ καὶ Bιθυνίας μέχρι they also wanted to take possession of Χαλκηδόνος ἀντιλαβέσθαι, εἰ μὴ Bithynia to Chalcedon, but the local popu- βεβασιλευκέναι γνόντες Αὐρηλιανὸν τὴν lation had heard of the accession of Παλμυρηνῶν ἀπεσείσαντο προστασίαν. Aurelianus and had rejected the rule of the 2.Ἐλάσαντος τοίνυν ἅμα στρατῷ τοῦ Palmyrenes. 2. Now the emperor advanced βασιλέως, Ἀγκύρα τε προσετίθετο τῇ with his army and subjugated the Roman Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ καὶ Tύανα μετὰ ταύτην empire region Ankyra, then Tyana and καὶ ἑξῆς ἅπασαι μέχρις Ἀντιοχείας, ἐν ᾗ successively all other cities except Antioch, Zηνοβίαν εὑρὼν ἅμα στρατῷ πολλῷ where he found Zenobia equipped with a παρεσκευασμένην εἰκότως ἐς μάχην handsome army; and, being already prepared, 4 Byzantine Sources on Eastern Lands and Peoples ἀπήντα καὶ αὐτὸς εὐτρεπής. 3. Ὁρῶν δὲ he naturally decided to fight. 3. When he saw τοὺς Παλμυρηνῶν ἰππέας ὁπλίσει βαρείᾳ that the palmyrene cavalry trusted their καὶ ἀσφαλεῖ τεθαρρηκότας καὶ ἅμα weighty, protective armour and at the same
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