The Prisoner of Rome

In 267AD a beautiful young woman named Zenobia became sovereign of the fabulous city of Palmira, in the desert of the Roman province of Syria. After the murder of her husband Odenato, Zenobia made Palmira the centre of a new kingdom which dominated the territory between the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia. For five years the dream of an empire seemed possible and Zenobia, blessed with legendary beauty and an admirable talent for governance, made herself independent from Rome, ruled over West Asia, conquered Egypt, was acclaimed as the new Cleopatra and kept the Persian Empire in check.
In 272AD, Aureliano, Emperor of Rome, declared war on the Palmiran army after Zenobia had the effrontery to proclaim her independence from the Roman Empire. After defeating and capturing queen Zenobia and conquering Palmira, the Roman Empire would recover the glory of the times of the great Caesars and survive, albeit in slow decline, for two centuries more.