{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.026785714285714284, 'fraction_numerical': 0.008004926108374385, 'mean_word_length': 4.73015873015873, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
PALMYRA THEN AND NOW

One cannot address these two recent volumes without mentioning the fate of Palmyra at the hands of IS over the last two years. On 18 August 2015, Khaled al-Assad, the former head of antiquities at Palmyra, was murdered. The period from May to October in that year saw the wilful destruction of many of the city’s famous Roman-era structures and monuments, including the so-called Temples of Baal-Shamin and Bel, several of the famous towertombs and the iconic arch at the entrance to the colonnade. Even though S.’s Roman Palmyra was written before these atrocities took place, both of these volumes are now part of a new era for Palmyrene studies, in which the next generation of scholars will not be able to see the ruins for themselves. Scholarly efforts to preserve what remains of Palmyra’s material culture, many of which had begun before IS’s occupation, are more important now than ever. For instance, the Palmyra Portrait Project – established at Aarhus University by R. Raja and A. Kropp – seeks to compile all known Palmyrene portraits into a searchable online database. The Wisconsin Palmyrene Aramaic Inscription Project, directed by J. Hutton, uses reflective transformation imaging on Palmyrene inscriptions, allowing access to these moveable and adaptable images on an online database. In this way, academic efforts have concentrated on preserving and reinterpreting the material that remains. At the same time, the destruction has led to a wider appreciation of the importance of Palmyra’s unique culture and history. Attempts have been made – by the Arc/k project and Creative Commons’ New Palmyra project – to compile 3D models of Palmyrene monuments as they were through photogrammetry. Palmyra has been the subject of news articles, television news items and an increasing number of publications aimed at a wider audience. The two books under review – one aimed at the scholarly community, the other at a wider audience – are important contributions to the evolving discussion of Palmyrene history. The first thing one notices about the two volumes is that they both feature the same monument on their covers: the famous arch at one end of the colonnade that IS destroyed in 2015. Since its destruction, this arch has remained an important symbol of the city. On 19 April 2016, a replica of the arch – made in Italy using Egyptian marble – was shown in Trafalgar Square; its creators intend to erect the replica at Tadmor near the location of the original. The two volumes display – albeit unconsciously in the case of S.’s Roman Palmyra – this potent symbol of Palmyra’s memory under threat. Roman Palmyra is a reworked version of S.’s doctoral thesis, investigating the emergence of Palmyra as a city and the development of Palmyrene identity. It is primarily a study of the abundant epigraphy from the city, although S. also emphasises the importance of material remains (pp. 17–21). S. evaluates his material with two perspectives in mind: he emphasises the importance of Palmyra’s position between the Roman and Parthian Empires while, at the same time, making sure to appreciate Palmyra’s distinct culture and the power it wielded over its surrounding territories (pp. 6–7). THE CLASSICAL REVIEW 189