Battle Of Actium
38 56 '05 "N 20 44' 19" E / 38.9346, 20.7387
| Battle of Actium | |
 Representation of the Battle of Actium by Lorenzo A. Castro , 1672 | |
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2 September 31 BC. AD |
| Location | Gulf Amvrakikos (Island of Corfu ), near Actium |
| Issue | Victory of Octavian |
| Belligerents | |
| Roman supporters of Octavian | Roman supporters of Marc Antoine Egyptians |
| Commanders | |
| Agrippa , Marcus Lurius | Antony and Cleopatra |
| Forces present | |
| 400 ships 37,000 men | 500 ships (300 and 200 Roman Egypt) Or 114,000 men 19 legions |
| Losses | |
| between 5000 and 13000 deaths | |
| Succession of Caesar | |
change  | |
On September 2 the year 31 BC. BC Civil War Roman following the assassination of Julius Caesar , a great naval battle takes place near Actium , on the west coast of Greece , in the Gulf Amvrakikos , South Island Corfu. It pitted the forces of Octavian and those of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. It marks the end of the Civil War and the victory of Octavian (later Emperor Augustus). Its magnitude and consequences, it is generally regarded by historians as one of the most important naval battles in history History The descriptions of battle are pretty vague, even contradictory, and all were written to celebrate the winner. The forces involved are numerous: the only land forces of Antony, by Plutarch, had "nineteen legions (or two hundred thousand men, but Plutarch tends to round off, and after each unit of auxiliary troops formed by ally a people as a "legion"). Indeed, the two sides, but especially on the side of Anthony, attended the Allied peoples-clients of the Romans (Jews, Pontic, Moors, etc ...) with possibly their king at their head (y Bocchus of Mauretania was, but not Herod the Great ). The fleet of Octavian (Caesar or Octavian) , nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar , commanded by Agrippa , with approximately three hundred and fifty vessels forms a relatively thin line of battle facing the three cents (probably less, some authors indicating ancient 170 or 180 units) heavy vessels (between 500 and 1000 metric tons) equipped with catapults to Marc Anthony and ships Egyptian more mobile Cleopatra VII , the most famous lovers of antiquity. Heat, malaria and hunger coalition push to force the blockade of Octavian and engage in combat. But, trapped by unfavorable winds (the ancient vessels did not know upwind) they fail to consolidate their attack and many ships were burned. According to Plutarch , 5000 men were killed, according to Orosius , 12,000 plus 6,000 wounded, 1,000 did not survive. However, the victory of Actium, indisputable, was not as sharp as Octavian propaganda tried to believe. So a big part of Antony's fleet after the battle went with haste so suspicious that some spoke of betrayal by its leaders (including Caius Sosius ). Marc Antony and Cleopatra managed to escape but suicide a year later. This battle marked the end of the troubles from the civil wars that shook Rome since -50 , and allows Octavian, later Augustus, establishing itself as absolute master of the empire emerging. References
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: Source used for this article Authors of Antiquity
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