The RomanColoniaeof the Near East the equivalent of the Persian titleargapet(governor), attributed to Septi-
mius Worod on some other inscriptions of –, that is, the last couple
of years of the rule of Septimius Odenathus before his murder in .^168
That raises problems which are not strictly relevant here. But it seems to be
from the same period that we have a fragmentary Greek dedication from
the monumental arch, using the expression ‘‘King of Kings,’’ and referring
to a victory over the Persians, put up by two men, one of whom seems to be
the same Septimius Worod with a more developed set of Roman Imperial
nomina:ἸούλιοςΑὐρήλιος[Σεπτί]μιοςΟ[ὐ]ο[ρ]ώδης. The two dedicants are
described asἀμφότεροι στρα[τηγοὶτῆςλαμ]προτάτης[κ]ολω[ν]είας.^169
It is not necessary here to pursue the question of the career of Septimius
Worod or the precise form of government and office-holding in Palmyra
during the brief period of its rise to power. Suffice to say that the city con-
tinued to designate itself as aκολωνεία/ QLNY’ orμητροκολωνεία(no Pal-
myrene equivalent is yet attested), and to havestratēgoiamong its annual offi-
cials up to the last few years of its fully independent existence. We might
have expected also that the coinage of Palmyra, as of the othercoloniaeof this
region, would contribute something to our understanding of its character.
But the small bronze coins of Palmyra, not certainly datable, reveal nothing
about its formal designation or status.^170
The reconquest of the city by Aurelian in took place at about the mo-
ment when city coinages generally ceased, and there is no reason to imagine
that minting there would have continued anyway. Inscriptions in Palmyrene
might have; but in fact it seems that they ended abruptly. The city was not
in fact destroyed; instead it continued, so far as we know, as a minor Greek
provincial place, with a Roman garrison.^171 The few Greek inscriptions of
the fourth century and after, mainly Christian epitaphs, give no hint that
the city’s status as acoloniawas still recalled. But there is at least one Latin
milestone of the Tetrarchic period to prove that colonial status survived the
reconquest (text to n. above).
.IGRIII CISII.,InventaireIII, no. :ἐπίτροπονΣεβαστοῦδουκηνά-
ριον καὶἀργαπέτην/ ’PTRP’ DQNR’ W’RGBṬ’. Cf.IGRIII CISII.,In-
ventaireIII,no.(..); andOGIS IGRIII CISII.,InventaireIII,
no.(..).
.IGRIII InventaireIII, no. . For restorations, see D. Schlumberger, ‘‘L’inscrip-
tion d’Hérodien: remarques sur l’histoire des Princes de Palmyre,’’Bull. d’Ét. Or. (–
): , and M. Gawlikowski, ‘‘Les princes de Palmyre,’’Syria (): , on , no. .
. For a survey, see W. Szaivert, ‘‘Die Münzen von Palmyra,’’ in M. Ruprechtsberger,
ed.,Palmyra, Geschichte, Kunst und Kultur der syrischen Oasenstadt(), .
. See F. Millar (n. ), .