The Capture of the Sassanid Emperor\'s Harem

[Zenobia of Palmyra]

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??

[Robert Vermaat]

The capture of the harem by Odaenathus is written in the Historia Augusta, which as a source is not very reliable. Therefore I would prefer the account of Ballista as the capturer.

[Nathan Ross]

One of Graham Sumner's paintings in Imperial Roman Naval Forces actually portrays the sacking of the harem, with a very unamused harem woman being dragged off by a couple of marines... hock:

Or was this the 'Osprey book' you mentioned?

- Nathan

[Zenobia of Palmyra]

One of Graham Sumner's paintings in Imperial Roman Naval Forces actually portrays the sacking of the harem, with a very unamused harem woman being dragged off by a couple of marines... hock:

Or was this the 'Osprey book' you mentioned?

- Nathan

Yes sir

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Thats what I thought when I read your post...

[Zenobia of Palmyra]

Thats what I thought when I read your post...

I will warn you now, much of my knowledge of the Roman army is based on Osprey books. My brother and I have pretty much every title they've done on Rome. I know that some people look down on Osprey books (or it seems that way - I can't understand why? ), but don't judge!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I was much the same myself a few years back.
Some of the images are very inspiring, but as you begin to read more books,
sometimes the actual history in the Ospreys can be a little wonky, so to speak.
But there is none the less, a good selection of portable history available in the Osprey series.
I usually bring one or two offshore with me for something to read at night.
Plus a few other books.....weight being an issue.

[Zenobia of Palmyra]

I was much the same myself a few years back.
Some of the images are very inspiring, but as you begin to read more books,
sometimes the actual history in the Ospreys can be a little wonky, so to speak.
But there is none the less, a good selection of portable history available in the Osprey series.
I usually bring one or two offshore with me for something to read at night.
Plus a few other books.....weight being an issue.

Not to steer this thread too off topic, but I just got two new ones! The "Campaign" title about Spartacus, and the "Elite" title about Roman Battle Tactics 390 - 110 BC. I'm reading the first one now.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I have them, both pretty interesting. Haven't read the Sparticus one much, had eye surgery recently so reading was
on a back burner for a while.

[Zenobia of Palmyra]

I have them, both pretty interesting. Haven't read the Sparticus one much, had eye surgery recently so reading was
on a back burner for a while.

The main thing I've learned from the Spartacus title is that there was a very strong Celtic and Germanic element in the Gladiator Army. I just thought they were slaves and shepherds. One of the color plates depicts a battle between a Roman general and Spartacus' fellow rebel, the Gaul Crixus. It easily looks like it could be a scene of twenty years later, during the Gallic War hock:

[Nathan Ross]

I found a couple of references for the Shapur harem event - from Syncellus and Zonarus, both Byzantine monks, so pretty late chroniclers, but presumably working from earlier sources. They both give Ballista aka Callistus as the Roman commander. Syncellus says he used a fleet to relieve Pompeiopolis, which might explain what those marines were doing there...

Both quotes are here, in an excerpt on Google Books: The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars

I suppose at the time Ballista was effectively a usurper, or acting for one (Macrianus), and Odenathus was an allied king; with the empire still in chaos after the capture of Valerian, neither of them were in much of a position to advertise their conquests widely! Galerius also captured a Persian harem from Narses in 297 - seems Persian kings often carried their womenfolk about with them on campaign. Doesn't Plutarch mention a Parthian prince (Pacorus?) travelling with a train of 200 wagons to transport his harem?

- Nathan

[Gäiten]

I have been wondering why the Romans had not been capable of using that feat of capturing the Royal harem to force Shapur to certain hard concessions as some decades later Galerius did.

Maybe they never captured the harem, maybe it was rather a later-glorified raid of a brothel, so a fairy tale of something never happened? 8)

[Nathan Ross]

I have been wondering why the Romans had not been capable of using that feat of capturing the Royal harem to force Shapur to certain hard concessions as some decades later Galerius did.

But it would depend on who the 'Romans' were, in this case! It was (apparently) Ballista who captured the concubines, but he was only praetorian prefect of the wobbly usurper Macrianus - it was Odenathus of Palmyra who actually won the war against Shapur, attacking him during his retreat from Syria and later laying siege to Ctesiphon. And Odenathus and Ballista were not exactly allies... Quite possibly Odenathus later 'won' the captured harem from Ballista, after having him killed - that might explain the confusion in the H.A. about who originally captured Shapur's women. By that point, though, the Persians were already a beaten force, and Odenathus was the real power in the east.

Besides, Shapur still had the emperor Valerian as a hostage, and preferred using him as a footstool or whatever to bargaining for the return of his harem! Sadly, one live emperor seems to have been worth more than any amount of concubines...

- Nathan

[Gäiten]

Besides, Shapur still had the emperor Valerian as a hostage, and preferred using him as a footstool or whatever to bargaining for the return of his harem! Sadly, one live emperor seems to have been worth more than any amount of concubines...

Depends on the sources you use. Western sources tell us even a worse destiny for him while eastern tell us he was treated with honour after a short peroid. Just a point of view. 8)

Well and for exchanging old Valerian for a bunch of beautiful women, well, I would not hesitate in choosing ... THE GIRLS! :wink:

However, it is interesting, why Shapur did not achieve a decisive victory versus Odenathus given his great serie of victories over the Romans.
IMHO, his most important blunder was to split up his forces after 260 and executing more minor raids than the concentrated attacks.
The blitzkrieg and guerilla-style actions of Odenathus were well suited for countering these Sassanian raids. Especially in catching the with plunder heavy-burden retreating raiders.

Furthermore, we know that these campaigns devastated large parts of the Roman Eastern Empire. In 261/262 there were not much left of being worth get plundered. So the Sassanians had made their stand, got much prestige and looked for new enemies and opportunities. New threats appeared (Armenia and Kushans). So Shapur executed in the 260ies some very decisive campaigns in the Far Eastern parts of his realm and finally subdued the Kushans who were threatening him. Furthermore, Armenia and the Caucasus were a battlefield. That also means that the western Sassanian forces were weakened because the majority of the forces were campaigning in the East and in the East.
So we read that Odenathus was defeated/beaten back on Ctesiphon when from the East reinforcements arrived.

[Sardaukar]

Interesting, I am currently reading fiction about those times (with Ballista as main protagonist), Harry Sidebottom's "Warrior of Rome"-series.

Quite good read, I must say. Can anyone recommend more "serious" books about that period and Rome in East (apart from already posted ones)? 8)