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Osprey Campaign #211
Actium 31 BC: Downfall of Antony and Cleopatra
Osprey's examination of the Battle of Actium, which was the decisive confrontation of the Final War of the Roman Republic (32-30 BC). In 32 BC, the Roman Republic declared war on Egypt and set in motion a chain of events that would tear the Republic apart. In Rome, the forces of the western republic were marshaled together under Octavian (the future Emperor Augustus) and Marcus Agrippa. In the east, armies were gathered under the leadership of the famous lovers, Marc Antony and Cleopatra.
On September 2, 31 BC, the forces of Octavian and Marcus Agrippa managed to trap their enemies in the Gulf of Actium. Although Anthony and Cleopatra managed to escape, their army and navy, along with their hopes for victory were crushed. A few months later, the lovers would commit suicide. Their death saw the end of the war and the end of the Roman Republic. Now wielding supreme power, Octavian declared himself Emperor.
Actium has remained one of the most famous battles of the Ancient World thanks to its colorful cast of characters that have been reinvented by the writings of Shakespeare and the stars of the silver screen. This new book tells the true story of the decisive and bloody battle that would once and for all seal the fate of the Roman Republic.
On September 2, 31 BC, the forces of Octavian and Marcus Agrippa managed to trap their enemies in the Gulf of Actium. Although Anthony and Cleopatra managed to escape, their army and navy, along with their hopes for victory were crushed. A few months later, the lovers would commit suicide. Their death saw the end of the war and the end of the Roman Republic. Now wielding supreme power, Octavian declared himself Emperor.
Actium has remained one of the most famous battles of the Ancient World thanks to its colorful cast of characters that have been reinvented by the writings of Shakespeare and the stars of the silver screen. This new book tells the true story of the decisive and bloody battle that would once and for all seal the fate of the Roman Republic.
96 pages, Paperback
First published June 23, 2009
54 people want to read
About the author
Si Sheppard
26 books7 followersSi Sheppard is an associate professor of political science and international relations at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 27, 2023
ACTIUM 31 BC explains the events leading up to that pivotal battle that spelled the doom of the Roman Republic. Since the founding of Rome it had been a republic where the proud citizen willingly took up arms to defend it. The rich brought their own horses and arms while the poor relied on issued arms but served as well. As Rome grew, things changed.
The civil wars that followed the assassination of Caesar ended with the Pact of Brundisium in 40 BC which saw Antony and Octavian divide the Roman world between them. There were some minor players as well, to be used or crushed by the duo. Rome and most of what is now Italy was to be neutral, while Octavian received the west and Antony the east. To help seal the deal, Octavian 's sister Octavia was offered to Antony in marriage. As is often the case in history, it was only a matter of time before one of them continued the struggle for supreme control.
Antony, more general than politician, tried to expand Rome's influence further east, attacking the Kingdom of Parthia where the present king had murdered his father and all 30 of his brothers to secure the throne. To make a long story short, Antony failed. In the west, Octavian, more politician than general, secured his dominion largely through the efforts of his generals and admirals. And once he had done that, he started laying the groundwork for the control of Italy.
At one point Cleopatra entered the picture when Antony summoned her. In a pretentious and ostentatious display of her beauty and the wealth of Egypt, she arrived in such splendor that she dazzled Antony who was still smarting from his defeat in the Parthian adventure and captured his heart. His liaison with her was to lead to his ultimate downfall. History has not been too kind to her, and that is in no small part to Octavian's skillful use of propaganda by which he indirectly attacked Antony. She was portrayed as the foreign queen who manipulated Antony to do her bidding. But was she any different than any sovereign or female politician today? Perhaps her intention was to protect Egypt and one day put a son on the throne.
Actium was a naval battle so the ships and tactics are covered in good detail. What I found interesting was that although rams were the main weapon of warships, how they were used was a bit different than how the Greeks once used them. Instead of trying to punch a hole in the enemy ship they would try to ram them at an angle so as to split the water tight seams for a good length of the hull. And unlike later warships armed with cannon, one did not try to 'cross the T' so as to rake them with gunfire but rather approach them head on. It seems that this was the most effective way to use ship-borne catapults.
There is still plenty of fascinating reading even if I tell you who won. Photographs and color plates are included as well as several maps. Antony lost the naval battle and he escaped with Cleopatra and her treasure fleet. Abandoning his intact legions on land at Actium was another nail in his coffin. One legion or ally after another defected to Octavian and with his victory the Roman Republic would be replaced by its first emperor. Antony had one opportunity after another to bring about Octavian's downfall, but he failed to use them. One can only wonder if Cleopatra clouded his judgement?
The civil wars that followed the assassination of Caesar ended with the Pact of Brundisium in 40 BC which saw Antony and Octavian divide the Roman world between them. There were some minor players as well, to be used or crushed by the duo. Rome and most of what is now Italy was to be neutral, while Octavian received the west and Antony the east. To help seal the deal, Octavian 's sister Octavia was offered to Antony in marriage. As is often the case in history, it was only a matter of time before one of them continued the struggle for supreme control.
Antony, more general than politician, tried to expand Rome's influence further east, attacking the Kingdom of Parthia where the present king had murdered his father and all 30 of his brothers to secure the throne. To make a long story short, Antony failed. In the west, Octavian, more politician than general, secured his dominion largely through the efforts of his generals and admirals. And once he had done that, he started laying the groundwork for the control of Italy.
At one point Cleopatra entered the picture when Antony summoned her. In a pretentious and ostentatious display of her beauty and the wealth of Egypt, she arrived in such splendor that she dazzled Antony who was still smarting from his defeat in the Parthian adventure and captured his heart. His liaison with her was to lead to his ultimate downfall. History has not been too kind to her, and that is in no small part to Octavian's skillful use of propaganda by which he indirectly attacked Antony. She was portrayed as the foreign queen who manipulated Antony to do her bidding. But was she any different than any sovereign or female politician today? Perhaps her intention was to protect Egypt and one day put a son on the throne.
Actium was a naval battle so the ships and tactics are covered in good detail. What I found interesting was that although rams were the main weapon of warships, how they were used was a bit different than how the Greeks once used them. Instead of trying to punch a hole in the enemy ship they would try to ram them at an angle so as to split the water tight seams for a good length of the hull. And unlike later warships armed with cannon, one did not try to 'cross the T' so as to rake them with gunfire but rather approach them head on. It seems that this was the most effective way to use ship-borne catapults.
There is still plenty of fascinating reading even if I tell you who won. Photographs and color plates are included as well as several maps. Antony lost the naval battle and he escaped with Cleopatra and her treasure fleet. Abandoning his intact legions on land at Actium was another nail in his coffin. One legion or ally after another defected to Octavian and with his victory the Roman Republic would be replaced by its first emperor. Antony had one opportunity after another to bring about Octavian's downfall, but he failed to use them. One can only wonder if Cleopatra clouded his judgement?
April 27, 2020
This was a great book. I'm an author, currently writing a hist./fic. trilogy on Marcus Antonius, so I found Sheppard's account enlightening and well-written. I also appreciated that he was not biased, as both Octavian Augutust and Marcus Antonius remain polarizing personalities even after 2000 years!
This book answers a LOT of questions and there's plenty of detail. I especially applaud Sheppard's research into ancient nautical history and how ships were labeled as triremes, quadriremes, etc. Also, whoever did the fine illustrations should also be commended, as the color and detail made this non-fiction book come alive.
A job well-done...5 stars!
This book answers a LOT of questions and there's plenty of detail. I especially applaud Sheppard's research into ancient nautical history and how ships were labeled as triremes, quadriremes, etc. Also, whoever did the fine illustrations should also be commended, as the color and detail made this non-fiction book come alive.
A job well-done...5 stars!
January 5, 2011
Superior to my other recent galley warfare read, Osprey's Salamis campaign book. Maybe because the scale of the battle was smaller (or perhaps the artist scaled the map appropriately) I found the maps to be very useful and the accompanying historical narrative, illustrating political and strategic moves up to Actium (as well as the dramatic battle itself), to be quite good. Worth a reread.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews