The Washington times., 1922-10-08
One of the Unique "Towers of the
Dead" in Which the Bodies of
Palmyra's Mobiles Were
Laid Away in Boxes.

EVERYBODY remembers Zer
r. the beautiful and ambitious {
of Palmyra, who;~ covered
priceless jewels and fettered in G
chains, was dragged through the 81
of Rome to grace a Roman holiday.
Scientists are now uncovering the
of the once gorgeous palace on the
of the Syrian Desert from which Zer
FURNISHED in armor, sailed forth to
the Emperor Aurelian for the cOntr
Africa, Syria and Asia Minor.
Here they expect to fathom the
terry of ZcnObia's court; the won
derful system of taxation that en-
riched her people, and to recon-
struct the life of this woman or
ganizcr and warrior who came very
near breaking up the Roman EN-
pII".
They hope also to learn from the
buried past something of the treach
cry that lost Zenobia the battle at
Amesa and led to her capture, in
flight, on the banks of the Eu-
pirates River, from which she was
brought back to become the un-
happy living symbol of Rome re-
united at a pageant that Aurelian
staged in the year 274 to glorify
his victory.
Another quest of the archaelo-
gists will be to discover how it was
possible that the fair African colo
nies fell away from Rome and ac-
knowledged Zenobia as their queen.
This makes one of history's most
striking pages of beautiful wom-
ans energy and ambition which
raised, practically within a single
generation, Palmyra from a caravan
trading centre to a powerful capital
with confederated states so strong
that she defed the ascendency of
Rome.
For this revolt Aurelian's punish
ment was crushing. The city Of
Palmyra was put to sword and
torch until now its heaving mounds,
burying the riches and secrets of
past civilization, give place to the
desolate huS of a few nomadic
Arabs.
Into this desert waste, whose
ruins still standing are one of the
sights of Syria, the French Govern
ment has sent members of "The
Service of Antiquities and Fine
Arts" to make this exploration.
Why the Palmyrenes flashed so
quickly into world conquering am
bition may be explained in a part to
its hero worship and to prohibition.
Here, for the first time in, history,
the achievements of the ordinary
man in the street were recognized
and public squares and strSets n
after him and monuments raised i
honor.
Originally sandstone columns
placed at the intersections of street.
on them were raised carved statu
local heroes. Soon these heroes be
so numerous that brackets were add
each column (which were fifty-five
high) and other statues placed on
brackets, Then the advantage of jo
all the columns together on the
thoroughfare was conceived and
outstanding weather-bruised column
all that is left of Palmyra's main str
In those days the heroes for
public squares were named tough
less valiantly, but in an entirely diff
cause, from our modern wars.
Trade was enormously profitable
only to the merchants but to the
which levied rigorous duty on a
ports and imports. At the same
formidable risks had to be faced
from desert tribes and from the
thians, and to successfully plan and
voy a great caravan was looked up
n distinguished service to the city, r
nized by public monuments trecte
"the council and people,"
The first "Volsteads" and "Puss
Johnsons" lived in Palmyra. Teetot
then, as is sometimes the case now
made a part of religion and the Ar
diet,, She-a-alqum, "the good and
t:fui god who does not drink wine,
worshipped by the dry advocates.
In these ruins may be found the
lost writings of the philosopher,
nus, who, as Zenobia's councillor,
held responsible for her uprising 81
imperial Rome and suffered death q
nonspotIpnce