"
Her advice was taken. Quickly collecting the troops of Palmyra
and the Arabs and Armenian who were his allies, the fearless
"head-man" fell upon the army of the haughty Persian king,
defeated and despoiled it, and drove it back to Persia. As
Gibbon, the historian says: "The majesty of Rome, oppressed by a
Persian, was protected by an Arab of Palmyra."
For this he was covered with favors by Rome; made supreme
commander in the East, and, with Zenobia as his adviser and
helper, each year made Palmyra stronger and more powerful.
Here, rightly, the story of the girl Zenobia ends. A woman now,
her life fills one of the most brilliant pages of history. While
her husband conquered for Rome in the north, she, in his absence,
governed so wisely in the south as to insure the praise of all.
And when the time was ripe, and Rome, ruled by weak emperors and
harassed by wild barbarians, was in dire stress, the childish vow
of the boy and girl made years before found fulfilment. Palmyra
was suddenly declared free from the dominion of Rome, and
Odaenathus was acknowledged by senate and people as "Emperor and
King of kings."
But the hand of an assassin struck down the son as it had
stricken the father.
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