As I am reading, in How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower by Adrian Goldsworthy, about the 1920 discovery of the ruins of Dura-Europas – the Roman Fort and Temple (88ff), and the Synagogue and the House Church (95ff) – and doing some googling, up comes Judith Weingarten's blogpost Gods At the Crossroads.
The famous soldier fresco can be seen there in color.
But not only that, she also links to the current exhibit at Boston University, Dura-Europos: Crossroads of Antiquity, Feb. 5 – Jun. 5. Those of you who live in the Boston area, don't miss this!
And in a further coincidence, just hours ago, Migistra Ginny Lindzey posted Buried with Secrets: Skeletons Likely Victims of Chemical Weapon | Rome, Persia and Ancient Warfare on Facebook, also featuring Adrienne Mayor:
Almost 2,000 years ago, 19 Roman soldiers rushed into a cramped underground tunnel, prepared to defend the Roman-held Syrian city of Dura-Europos from an army of Persians digging to undermine the city's mudbrick walls. But instead of Persian soldiers, the Romans met with a wall of noxious black smoke that turned to acid in their lungs. Their crystal-pommeled swords were no match for this weapon; the Romans choked and died in moments, many with their last pay of coins still slung in purses on their belts.
read on
The relevant section in Goldsworthy's book is at page 101.
Judith Weingarten has all about Zenobia in her blog, Zenobia: Empress of the East,Exploring Zenobia's World. The Incredible Rise and Fall of the City of Palmyra.
Postscript:
For those lucky people who have access to ARTSTOR, there are the Dura-Europos and Gerasa Archives (Yale University).
