Beautiful ruins there, @galba68! Are you MDing there today? Or just visiting? Can one even MD in places like that?
Awesome photo of a beautiful World Heritage site! All of our World Heritage sites need to be respected and protected. The building on my Seleucid avatar is an homagé to the temple of Bel at Palmyra which was destroyed in 2015.
Zenobia was the Queen of Palmyra. Her son Vabalathus reigned over that city before he was ousted by Emperor Aurelian. I think maybe there's a historical site there named Ugarith.
In the Bible, the city of Palmyra is referred to as "Tadmur" or "Tamar". As for Ugarit, it's still in Syria but on the Mediterranean coast north of Latakia. Ugarit is today known as "Ras Shamra" where the ruins of an ancient Phoenician city were found. They date back to the second millennium. They included objects of arts and cuneiform manuscripts on Papyrus related to the Phoenician mythology.
Here is a "pseudo-autonomus" coin of Palmyra of the 2nd - 3rd century: 15 mm. 2.65 grams. Three busts, Serapis facing, Sol on left, Selene on right I below ΠAΛMVPA (Palmyra) Winged figure holding balance with two pans over cippus DuBuisson page 722 and Figure 306. Krzyzanowska page 449 and Fig. 1 "very rare". One was in CNG Triton XIII lot 1397 and one in Vecchi 13 lot 1344.
When I think of Palmyra's recent destruction, I am at least grateful that the coins have survived this barbarous act. I could never afford a Zenobia coin, but I do have the more common and affordable Vabalathus / Aurelian one.
To the lovers of Palmyra . This is my recent coin of south petherthon hoard from Aurelian who captured zenobia and paraded her in rome!
