Actium, 31 BCE: The Naval Battle for Roman Power
Explore the fleet confrontation, Agrippa’s operations, and the consequences for Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian’s struggle for power.
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Octavian’s command
Octavian’s command in “Actium, 31 BCE: The Naval Battle for Roman Power”. Augustus, also known as Octavian, was the founder of the Roman Empire and the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in AD 14.
Opposing commander
Opposing commander in “Actium, 31 BCE: The Naval Battle for Roman Power”. Marcus Antonius, commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the autocratic Roman Empire.
Egyptian ally
Egyptian ally in “Actium, 31 BCE: The Naval Battle for Roman Power”. Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and the last active Hellenistic pharaoh.
Octavian’s admiral
Octavian’s admiral in “Actium, 31 BCE: The Naval Battle for Roman Power”. Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was a Roman general and statesman who was a close friend, son-in-law and lieutenant to the Roman emperor Augustus.
Battle waters
Battle waters in “Actium, 31 BCE: The Naval Battle for Roman Power”. The Ionian Sea is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea.
Wider civil war
Wider civil war in “Actium, 31 BCE: The Naval Battle for Roman Power”. The War of Actium or Actian War was the last civil war of the Roman Republic, fought between Mark Antony and Octavian. In 32 BC, Octavian convinced the Roman Senate to declare war on the Egyptian queen Cleopatra.
Cleopatra’s kingdom
Cleopatra’s kingdom in “Actium, 31 BCE: The Naval Battle for Roman Power”. The Ptolemaic Kingdom or Ptolemaic Empire was an ancient Greek polity based in Egypt during the Hellenistic period.
Final retreat
Final retreat in “Actium, 31 BCE: The Naval Battle for Roman Power”. Alexandria is a major city in Egypt. Lying at the western edge of the Nile River Delta, it extends about 40 km (25 mi) along the country's northern coast.
State in civil war
State in civil war in “Actium, 31 BCE: The Naval Battle for Roman Power”. The Roman Republic was the era of classical Roman civilisation beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom and ending in 27 BC with the establishment of the Roman Empire following the War of Actium.