Paul of Samosata of Paul apply to Palmyra itself. For while no one can question either the
total predominance of Semitic cults there or the vigour and splendour of the
native Palmyrene art and architecture, the city (now a Roman colony) was
officially bilingual in Palmyrene and Greek^53 (though Palmyrene nomen-
clature in particular suggests that the population was in fact largely of Arab
stock).^54 ButitisonlytheHistoriaAugustawhich appears to imply that Zeno-
bia could not write a letter in Greek.^55 That point arises in connection with
one of the only two facts we can be said to know about the culture and his-
torical outlook of Zenobia. The first is that she brought to her court Longi-
nus, the foremost Greek literary scholar of his day.^56 The second is that in
Egypt she identified herself with Cleopatra; so it was to her under this name
that a Greek rhetor, Callinicus of Petra, dedicated his history of Alexandria.^57
Thus the wider cultural background of the third-century Near East is
fraught with ambiguities. Before coming to the events of the s and s
it remains to look at Roman Syria proper. Is there anything to suggest either
the survival of non-classical traditions or the development of a local strain
in Syrian Christianity?
Local Culture in Roman Syria
Abundant evidence illustrates the survival of pre-Hellenic cult centres in Ro-
man Syria and its environs. One need only mention by way of example the
. For a survey, see J. Starcky,Palmyre(); cf. also le Comte du Mesnil du Buisson,
Les Tessères et les monnaies de Palmyre: un art, une culture et une philosophie grecs dans les moules
d’une cité et d’une religion sémitiques().
. See A. Caquot, ‘‘Sur l’onomastique religieuse de Palmyre,’’Syria (): ; cf.
H. Seyrig inSyria (): –.
.HA,Aurel. , : ‘‘It was regarded as a cruel thing that Longinus the philosopher
should have been among those killed. He, it is said, was employed by Zenobia as her teacher
in Greek letters, and Aurelian is said to have slain him because he was told that that over-
proud letter of hers was dictated in accordance with his counsel, although it was in fact
composed in the Syrian tongue’’ (Loeb translation).
.HA(n. ); Zosimus , , –; Photius,Bib. , . Bekker (see below text to
n. ); Syncellus , Bonn. For the text of a letter from Longinus written to Porphyry in
Sicily (so between c. , Porph.,Vit. Plot. , and ) inviting him to join him in ‘‘Phoe-
nicia,’’ see Porph.,Vit. Plot. . Libanius,Ep. Förster ( Wolf ), mentions alogos
Oudainathosof Longinus, presumably a funeral address. Cf.RE, s.v. ‘‘Longinus.’’
. See A. Stein, ‘‘Kallinikos von Petrai,’’Hermes (): ; J. Schwartz, ‘‘Les Pal-
myréniens en Égypte,’’Bull. Soc. Ant. Alex. (): ; A. D. E. Cameron inCQ, n.s.,
(): –.