War in the Steppe: Characteristics and Modalities of the Conflict in Palmyra
May 29–31 2025 (Duluth, MN and Münster, Germany) – WAWIC 2025
The Oasis of Tadmor is renowned for its distinctive blending of local traditions and Greco-Roman customs, notable architecture, and trade routes that traversed the ancient world from India to the Mediterranean. Within its squares and colonnaded streets, merchants and vendors engaged in the exchange of silk, spices, precious stones, and perfume.
This panel seeks to investigate the Palmyrene military structure, which facilitated the arrival of these goods by safeguarding the caravans and convoys that transported them along the Euphrates River and the routes that intersected the Syrian steppe. The objective is to explore various aspects related to the forms and methodologies employed in this protective role, the dynamics of military activity within the broader context of interactions between Rome and Parthia, and the potential transformations resulting from diplomatic tensions or military conflicts between the two empires.
Alongside the strategic and tactical elements, this panel will also focus on the Palmyrene military ideology through an analysis of its expressive, epigraphic, iconographic, and monumental representations. Furthermore, aside from the characteristics of this military structure, the investigation will address the factors that prompted Roman emperors to enlist Palmyrene military units for deployment in various regions of the empire, including both nearby and distant areas, alongside the procedures through which this recruitment was executed.
In addition, this panel seeks to examine the characteristics of the Palmyrene military structure that initially enabled Odenathus to halt Shapur’s advance and subsequently to march to Ctesiphon, following by Zenobia’s temporarily position at the forefront of the eastern portion of the Roman Empire.
All contributions that fall under the topic above are therefore welcome, as for example:
- How did the environment of the steppe influence Palmyrene warfare?
- How were Palmyrene caravans organized and protected?
- What role did the strategoi and other military characters play in the Palmyrene societies?
- How were Palmyrene soldiers and depicted in the local iconography
- Which was the role of the Palmyrene auxiliary units at the frontiers of the Empire?
- Which place did military deities and cults play within the Palmyrene pantheon?
- Which role did the Palmyrene military played in the crisis of the III century?
And more…
This panel will be part of the Warfare in the Ancient World International Conference (WAWIC) 2025, which will be held in-person in Duluth (MN) for North American participants and simultaneously in Münster, Germany for European participants. These in-person gatherings will be connected via Zoom for several panels.
Individual presentations should be in English and no longer than 20 minutes; online presentations are also possible. However, participation in presence is desirable if there are no special personal reasons preventing it. Depending on the funding, participants in Münster (especially doctoral students) will ideally have part of their travel expenses reimbursed.
Contributions from researchers at all career stages are encouraged: the conference is equally open to doctoral students, early career researchers, and established academics.
The contributions are planned to be published in an edited volume. Further details will be provided after the conference.
In your submissions, please include the title of your proposed contribution, your name, affiliation, and contact information, accompanied by a 300-word abstract and a brief bio. Please direct your proposals BEFORE January 10th 2025 to the organisers of the panel (Peter Freiherr von Danckelman, Dr. Stefano Magnani, and Dr. Antonietta Castiello) at [email protected]. For general information about the conference contact Lennart Gilhaus ([email protected])
