Empire, Community, and Culture on the Middle Euphrates. Durenes, Palmyrenes, Villagers, and Soldiers

Abstract

The focus of this paper is on the Middle Euphrates: Dura-Europos as its best-known urban settlement; a series of villages known mostly from two papyrological dossiers situated along the river; and the military stations on the Euphrates. The paper asks questions about the impact (or lack of it) of the culture of Palmyra on the region's communities. It is argued that Dura-Europos remains our best case study for social and religious life in a Near Eastern small town under the Roman empire, and that the only evidence that actually makes the town look potentially ‘untypical’ is the idiosyncratic source material related to its Palmyrene inhabitants. The paper also questions the traditional periodization of Dura's history and puts forward the hypothesis that at two points during the so-called ‘Parthian phase’ Palmyrenes took advantage of a power vacuum along the Middle Euphrates and became the dominant military factor in the region.

Trade, Traders, and Religion in Gateway-Cities of the Roman East

“…45 Dirven 1999;Gregoratti 2020;Teixidor 1984. 46 Kaizer 2017. 47 Ruffing 2016. Berenike is scant in Dura, three religious buildings from the city have direct or indirect connection with mobility. The first is the suburban temple of Bel, situated in the Necropolis outside the walls of Dura.…”

Greek Inscriptions in Mesopotamia (and Babylonia)

“…Hellenistic and Roman Dura-Europos-due its richness of textual and archaeological remains-was aptly characterized as a laboratory for the study of the diversity especially of the Roman World. 10 Therefore, it might be useful to briefly discuss an example from this fascinating town on the right bank of the Euphrates, particularly because its abundance of sources has led to a lot of research on the culture and the identity of its inhabitants (Millar 2006;Kaizer 2015;2017;Gregoratti 2016;Sommer 2016;2018: 273-360;Baird 2018: 153).…”

Bardaisan of Edessa and Memories of Christian Persecution in the Near East

“…Leriche and el‐Ajji 1999: 1327 discuss this. Kaizer 2017: 72 raises the possibility that Aurelios Heliodoros was Palmyrene. For the title in the 160s–180s, see Frye et al .…”