On 2 September 31 BC, off the western coast of Greece, the last war of the Roman Republic was decided at sea. The fleet of Octavian, commanded by his admiral Agrippa, broke the combined force of Mark Antony and Cleopatra of Egypt. Within a few years Octavian would rule alone as Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
The last civil war
After the murder of Julius Caesar, the Roman world had been carved up between his heirs. In the end it came down to two men: Octavian in the west, and Antony in the east, bound to Cleopatra and the wealth of Egypt. Rome was told it faced not a civil war but a foreign queen, and the propaganda did its work.
The trap of the gulf
Agrippa outmaneuvered Antony at sea and cut his supply lines, penning his fleet inside the Ambracian Gulf. Trapped through the summer, Antony's crews were thinned by hunger and disease, and desertion spread through his camp before a blow was struck.
She turned her ships for Egypt, and he followed. The Republic ended in their wake.
The breakout
Antony at last tried to force his way out. In the confusion of the fighting, Cleopatra's squadron hoisted sail and ran for the open sea, and Antony broke off to follow her. Leaderless, the rest of his fleet was burned or surrendered.
What the day decided
Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt, where both took their own lives the following year. Octavian was left master of the Roman world. In 27 BC the Senate granted him the name Augustus, and the Republic of five centuries gave way to an empire that would endure for many more.
Frequently asked questions
Why was the Battle of Actium in 31 BC a turning point?
Actium in 31 BC decided the last war of the Roman Republic, and within a few years the victorious Octavian ruled alone as Augustus, the first Roman emperor, as the Republic of five centuries gave way to empire.
How did Octavian's side win at Actium?
At Actium in 31 BC the admiral Agrippa outmaneuvered Antony at sea and cut his supply lines, penning his fleet inside the Ambracian Gulf where hunger, disease and desertion wore it down before a blow was struck.
Was Actium really a foreign war or a Roman civil war?
Actium in 31 BC was in truth the last Roman civil war, between Octavian and Mark Antony, but Rome was told it faced a foreign queen, Cleopatra of Egypt, and the propaganda did its work.
What decided the outcome of the fighting at Actium?
During the breakout at Actium in 31 BC, Cleopatra's squadron hoisted sail and ran for the open sea, Antony broke off to follow her, and his leaderless fleet was then burned or surrendered.
What were the consequences of the Battle of Actium in 31 BC?
After Actium in 31 BC Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt and took their own lives the following year, leaving Octavian master of the Roman world, and in 27 BC the Senate granted him the name Augustus.
Who won the Battle of Actium?
Octavian won the naval Battle of Actium in 31 BC, his fleet under the admiral Agrippa breaking the combined force of Mark Antony and Cleopatra of Egypt.
Take command at Actium
Actium is one of 40 battles in Echoes of Battle, told scene by scene, with a real-time tactical mode in the works, and set on the real waters where Rome changed forever.
