Rewriting Power: Zenobia, Aurelian, and the Historia Augusta
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2016
Journal / Book Title
Classical World
Abstract
The portrayal of Zenobia of Palmyra in the Historia Augusta must be regarded with suspicion as a faithful representation of historical events. When considered as a narrative, however, this episode becomes a discourse on the correlation of power, gender, and ethnicity. In a new reading of the Life of Aurelian (HA 22–34), I argue that the construction of the episode’s plot as well as devices such as variable focalization and dramatic irony call attention to the nexus of power, gender, and cultural identity, and ultimately destabilize the assumption that power is Roman and masculine.
DOI
10.1353/clw.2016.0011
Journal ISSN / Book ISBN
1558-9234
Montclair State University Digital Commons Citation
Jones, Prudence, "Rewriting Power: Zenobia, Aurelian, and the Historia Augusta" (2016). Department of Classics and General Humanities Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 3.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/classics-gnrl-hmnties-facpubs/3
Published Citation
Jones, Prudence. "Rewriting Power: Zenobia, Aurelian, and the Historia Augusta." Classical World, vol. 109 no. 2, 2016, pp. 221-233. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/clw.2016.0011