07-03-2010, 04:37 PM
I think it was in 261 AD, but at some point in the middle of the 3rd Century, a Roman general captured Emperor Shapur II's harem at Pompeiopolis.
I find this to be an interesting, obscure event in history. You would think the capture of a harem (undoubtedly full of hundreds of beautiful ladies) by a Roman army would have become very well-known and well-recorded, maybe even legendary with time. Apparently this event was overlooked in all the confusion going on at that time.
I first read about this story in an Osprey book, and it says that it was a Roman general named Ballista who captured the harem. My friend says he read in another book, however, that it was Odaenathus of Palmyra (my namesake's husband :wink: ) that captured the harem.
Do any of you have any additional information on this event? Were the women given to the soldiers as booty, or ransomed back, or executed?
For that matter, since this event seems to be so poorly-known, had any of you even heard of it??
I find this to be an interesting, obscure event in history. You would think the capture of a harem (undoubtedly full of hundreds of beautiful ladies) by a Roman army would have become very well-known and well-recorded, maybe even legendary with time. Apparently this event was overlooked in all the confusion going on at that time.
I first read about this story in an Osprey book, and it says that it was a Roman general named Ballista who captured the harem. My friend says he read in another book, however, that it was Odaenathus of Palmyra (my namesake's husband :wink: ) that captured the harem.
Do any of you have any additional information on this event? Were the women given to the soldiers as booty, or ransomed back, or executed?
For that matter, since this event seems to be so poorly-known, had any of you even heard of it??
Jaida :-) <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":-)" title="Smile" />:-)
