lathus, means sacred to the
goddess Baaleth. But as her troops were many of them Saracens or Arabs,
a people nearly the same as the Blemmyes, who already formed part of the
people of Upper Egypt, this conquest gave a new rank to that part of
the population; and had the further result, important in after years,
of causing them to be less quiet in their slavery to the Greeks of
Alexandria.

But the sceptre of Rome had lately been grasped by the firmer hand of
Aurelian, and the reign of Zenobia drew to a close. Aurelian at first
granted her the title of his colleague in the empire, and we find
Alexandrian coins with her head on one side and his on the other. But
he lost no time in leading his forces into Syria, and, after routing
Zenobia's army in one or two battles, he took her prisoner at Emessa.
He then led her to Rome, where, after being made the ornament of his
triumph, she was allowed to spend the rest of her days in quiet, having
reigned for four years in Palmyra, though only for a few months in
Egypt.

On the defeat of Zenobia it would seem that Egypt and Syria were
still left under the government of one of her sons, with the title of
colleague of Aurelian. The Alexandrian coins are then dated in the first
year of Aurelian and the fourth of Vaballathus, or, according to the
Greek translation of this name, of Athenodorus, who counted his years
from the death of Odenathus.

The young Herodes, who had been killed with his father Odenathus, was
not the son of Zenobia, but of a former wife, and Zenobia always
acted towards him with the unkindness unfortunately too common in a
stepmother. She had claimed the throne for her infant sons, Herennius
and Timolaus; and we are left in doubt by the historians about
Vaballathus; Vopiscus, who calls him the son of Zenobia, does not tell
us who was his father. We know but little of him beyond his coins; but
from these we learn that, after reigning one year with Aurelian, he
aimed at reigning alone, took the title of Augustus, and dropped the
name of Aurelian from his coins. This step was very likely the cause of
his overthrow and death, which happened in the year 271.

On the overthrow of Zenobia's family, Egypt, which had been so fruitful
in rebels, submitted to the Emperor Aurelian, but it was only for a few
months. The Greeks of Alexandria, now lessened in numbers, were found to
be no longer masters of the kingdom. Former rebellions in Egypt had
been caused by the two Roman