Images The tetrapilon The temple of Baal Shamin

The Antic Tadmor was called «Palmyra» during the Hellenic period. The name was chosen to pay tribute to the splendour of the palms of the oasis and meant literally “The City of the Palms”. Tadmor was conquered by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C., putting an end to the rule of the Persian Empire in the region. Palmyra maintained a Greek organisation until the end of the era: it was composed mainly of the senate and the people’s assembly. The Hellenic and Roman influences coming from Antioch and the West slowly substituted the Hellenic and Parthian heritage from Babylonia and the Seleucids. The most relevant example of the take-over is the Temple of Bel, that was inaugurated in 32 A.D.