I'm currently reviewing the first in a trilogy of historical novels, The Chronicle of Zenobia: The Rebel Queen, by archaeologist and author Judith Weingarten (her website). In length comparable to Colleen McCullough…
Zenobia was the third century CE queen of Palmyra.
Women's History at About.com has a biography of the queen, as has Wikipedia.
De Imperatoribus Romanis has a page on Vaballathus and Zenobia.
Stay tuned for more on the era, as I make my way through the book.