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Threefold Political Equilibrium
- By the late 260s AD a new political equilibrium formed with three regional powers: Postumus in the West, Gallienus in the middle, and Odaenathus in the East.
- This fragile balance masked persistent external threats that none of the three had fully vanquished.
Rise And Sudden Fall Of Odaenathus
- Odaenathus rose from obscurity to repel the Sasanian threat and became indispensable to the eastern empire.
- He was later killed, probably by a resentful nephew after a hunting-party humiliation, shocking the region.
Authority Was Personal, Not Institutional
- Odaenathus's authority stemmed from Gallienus's personal grant, creating a power vacuum at his death.
- Zenobia seized that vacuum, asserting regency for her son and consolidating Palmyrene power quickly.