Battle of Actium

Question 1

When did it happen?

Answer 1

31BCE

Question 2

Where did it happen?

Answer 2

Off the coast of Actium (Greece)

Question 3

Side 1:

Answer 3

• Rome, led by Octavion and Agrippa
• 250 ships

Question 4

Side 2:

Answer 4

• Rome with Egypt, led by Antony and Cleopatra
• 230 ships (60 of which were commanded by Cleopatra)

Question 5

Who were the key individuals?

Answer 5

Octavion (Augustus)
Agrippa
Mark Antony
Cleopatra

Question 6

What was the main cause of the battle?

Answer 6

• Political rivalry between Octavion and Mark Antony, who were both trying to step into the power vacuum left by Caesar’s assassination, by claiming to be his heir

Question 7

Who was Julius Caesar, and what were his relationships with the people involved in this battle?

Answer 7

• Roman general and senator, who was very popular with the poor and the armies
• Adoptive father of Octavion
• Antony’s close friend and political ally
• He had a son with Cleopatra, Caesarion

Question 8

Why did Caesar have so much power, but what happened because of it?

Answer 8

• He waged a civil war against Pompey the Great, which he won, becoming the most dominant politician in Rome
• He forced the senate to give him the powers of a dictator for the rest of his life
• He was then assassinated by a group of senators

Question 9

In the Legionary Denarius, what is Mark Antony trying to do, and how does he do this?

Answer 9

• He was trying to make himself seem as Roman as possible
• Roman galley pictured on one side, showing the power and ‘Roman-ness ‘ of his navy
• Aquila was a big symbol of the Roman military

Question 10

What does it say on the Legionary Denarius of Mark Antony?

Answer 10

(Coin of) Antony, Augar and one of the Triumvirs for organising the Republic

• This was a way of showing that he had sanctioned authority given to him by the Senate

LEG X (This refers to the 10th Legion)

• Caesar was the person who founded this Legion, so Antony is asserting that he’s his rightful successor

Question 11

What happened after war was declared?

Answer 11

• Antony gathered his enemies
• They based themselves on the Western coast of Greece

Question 12

What did Octavion do after Antony moved his forces?

Answer 12

• Moved his forces near to where Antony’s forces were based
• The winter of 32-31 BCE was spent on small land-based skirmishes

Question 13

What did Octavion do in Spring and Summer of 31?

Answer 13

• Octavion’s fleet, led by Agrippa, cut off the supply lines to Antony’s forces
• Disease and starvation became a big problem, and many deserted him

Question 14

What were Antony and Cleopatra’s choices after their supply lines were cut off, and what did they decide to do?

Answer 14

• They could retreat East over land or try to break through Octavion and Agrippa’s naval blockade
• They decided to try and break through the blockade, hoping they could retreat to Egypt, regroup and fight another day

Question 15

What happened when Antony’s ships set sail?

Answer 15

• His ships were under-manned due to desertions and disease
• Octavion and Agrippa moved their ships around the side of Antony’s fleet and rammed them

Question 16

What did Cleopatra’s ships do?

Answer 16

• Stayed to the back of the line and didn’t engage in battle
• In the late morning, she ordered her ships to sail through the middle of Octavion and Antony’s battle line, which had thinned because they were trying to outflank Antony’s ships

Question 17

What happened after Cleopatra’s ships made it through the middle of Octavion’s battle line?

Answer 17

• Cleopatra escaped
• Antony saw this and followed her, and gave his ships the order to disengage and follow him in retreat
• Very few of Antony’s ships saw his signal, so didn’t follow him, and soon surrendered

Question 18

What were the short-term outcomes of the battle?

Answer 18

• Octavion offered clementia (forgiveness) when Antony’s forces surrendered, and these men then joined his force
• Octavion’s forces were now significantly stronger than Antony’s
• A year later, Octavion and Agrippa brought an army to Alexandria and fought a short battle there
• Antony and Cleopatra both committed suicide, ending the war

Question 19

What happened to Egypt after the war was lost?

Answer 19

• It was made into a province of the Roman empire, and due to its land’s natural fertility, its grain was used to feed Rome

Question 20

What happened to Octavion, and what did his rule lead to?

Answer 20

• He became the most powerful person in the Roman Empire
• His rule led to a 44 year period where Rome was able to prosper
• Rome’s democracy ended and was replaced by a single man rule for the rest of it’s history

Question 21

What were the cultural consequences of the Battle of Actium?

Answer 21

• Cultural exchange between Egyptians and Romans
• E.g Realistic Mummy portraits
• Led to the Golden Age of Literature
• E.g Aeneid written to support Augustus’ regime

Question 22

How is the occupation of Britain a long-term consequence?

Answer 22

• Led to establishment of Principat, with Emperors
• Emperors had to prove themselves, such as through military conquest
• Claudius saw Britain as an easy conquest

Question 23

How is the spread of Christianity a long-term consequence?

Answer 23

• Constantine converted and changed the entire religion of the Empire
• Without the introduction of Emperors, no-one before would have had enough power to do that

Question 24

How did the Battle of Actium reflect the societies involved?

Answer 24

• Antony’s forces were quick to abandon him and surrender, which shows the soldiers didn’t have much duty to state, only to money
• Cleopatra was a client Queen, so by fighting in the battle she was doing what was politically expected by fighting for Rome
• In the battle, Cleopatra and Antony stayed towards the back, in Roman armies powerful leaders wouldn’t really fight at the front

Question 25

How was the Battle commemorated?

Answer 25

• Throughout his life, Augustus referred to the battle to present himself as a hero and saviour of Rome from the threat of Cleopatra
• He commissioned literature, monuments and events to celebrate

Question 26

What were the notable monuments, events and literature commissioned by Augustus to celebrate his victory?

Answer 26

• Established a city near Actium and called it Nikopolis (city of victory)
• Enlarged a temple to Apollo at Actium and built a temple to Apolo in Rome
• Had poets such as Horace and Virgil write about the battle
• Commissioned coinage

Question 27

What is the prescribed relief called?

Answer 27

The Praeneste relief

Question 28

How does the Praeneste relief show the battle to have been important?

Answer 28

• It’s from the Italian town of Praeneste, which shows that the battle was an important part of Augustus’ public image across the Empire, not just in Rome

Question 29

What kind or Roman galley is depicted on the frieze and how can you tell?

Answer 29

• Bireme
• Sets of 2 oars per bank

Question 30

Who might the two people at the front of the Praeneste frieze be?

Answer 30

Agrippa and Augustus

Question 31

What does the crocodile in the Praeneste frieze represent and what is the artist trying to convey by using it?

Answer 31

• Represents the enemy- Egypt
• Egypt is being made to seem animalistic and vicious (as well as exotic)
• Crocodile is very small compared to rest of relief, which shows Rome’s might

Question 32

What is the name of the Additional source coin, and what does it show?

Answer 32

Aegypto Capta
- Obverse shows portrait of Augustus
‘Consul for the sixth time, son of a God’
- Reverse shows crocodile
‘ Egypt captured’