The conflict between the powerful Roman and Iranian empires arising from the extension of Roman power into today's Middle East is coming into increasingly sharp focus, thanks to the amount of evidence now available. This richly illustrated book examines this evidence to reveal how Rome established itself on the middle Euphrates, in Mesopotamia and Palmyra, and its efforts to consolidate power over these areas.

Reviewing evidence from Palmyra and Dura Europos - two of the most important archaeological sites in the Roman East - Peter M. Edwell builds a picture of the Roman military presence throughout this region. In the process he questions some commonly held assumptions about the nature of the Roman political and military presence at these ancient cities and the region of which they were an important part, forming a fresh and original perspective on the subject.