Palmyra

Palmyra, ancient city of central Syria. A small modern village known as Tudmur is on the site. An oasis N of the Syrian Desert, 130 mi (209 km) NE of Damascus, Palmyra was important in Syrian-Babylonian trade by the 1st cent. B.C. Palmyra became of true importance only after Roman control was established (c.A.D. 30). Local tribes vied for control, which fell to the Septimii by the 3d cent. A.D. Septimius Odenathus built Palmyra into a strong autonomous state that practically embraced the Eastern Empire, including Syria, NW Mesopotamia, and W Armenia. After his death his widow, Zenobia, briefly expanded the territory, but her ambition brought on (A.D. 272) an attack by Aurelian, who was victorious and partly destroyed (273) the city. In decline, Palmyra was taken by the Arabs and sacked by Timur. It fell into ruins, and even the ruins were forgotten until the 17th cent. The great temple dedicated to Baal and other remains show the ancient splendor of Palmyra at its prime.

Palmyra, atoll (2 sq mi/5.2 sq km), central Pacific, one of the Line Islands, c.1,100 mi (1,770 km) SW of Honolulu. Palmyra has no permanent inhabitants. First visited by Americans in 1802, and later claimed by the Hawaiian kingdom (1862) and Great Britain (1889), it was annexed by the United States in 1898. Palmyra was under the jurisdiction of the city and county of Honolulu until Hawaii was granted statehood in 1959. The atoll is now under the control of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior.

biblical Tadmor

Ancient city, Syria, northeast of Damascus, at the modern city of Tadmur. Said to have been built by King Solomon, it became prominent in the 3rd century BC, when the Seleucid dynasty made the road through Palmyra one of the routes of east-west trade. Under Roman control by the reign of Tiberius, it briefly regained autonomy in the 3rd century AD under the Arab queen Zenobia. The main military station on the road that linked Damascus to the Euphrates River, it was conquered by the Muslims in 634. Inscriptions in the Aramaic language supply information on the city's trade with India via the Persian Gulf and with Egypt, Rome, and Syria. Ancient ruins reveal the city's plan.

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Palmyra is a village in Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 733 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Palmyra is located at (39.433980, -89.995424).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 733 people, 334 households, and 223 families residing in the village. The population density was 732.9 people per square mile (283.0/km²). There were 361 housing units at an average density of 361.0/sq mi (139.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.77% White, 0.41% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.14% Pacific Islander, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.55% of the population.

There were 334 households out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.63.

In the village the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $27,188, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $29,583 versus $18,667 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,801. About 10.1% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

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