This article is about the Queen of the Palmyrene Empire who conquered Egypt. For other uses, see Zenobia .Zenobia (around 240-after 274) was a Syrian woman who lived in the 3rd century. She was a Queen of the Palmyrene Empire and the second wife to king Septimius Odaenathus. Upon his death she became the ruler of the empire. In 269, she conquered Egypt expelling the Roman prefect of Egypt, Tenagino Probus, whom she beheaded when he attempted a recapture. She then proclaimed herself Queen of Egyp