power struggle

Question 1

when did octavian add imperator to his title

Answer 1

after defeating sextus pompeius (son of Pompey the great)
-sextus took control of sicily which blocked romes trade routes
-almost caused famine in 39BC
-made himself a commander

Question 2

what did the title of imperator add to octavians image

Answer 2

-create further link to JC
-pay homage to himself and identify his voctoires
-encourage the idea that he was a great military leader desotie not having a strong military career

Question 3

how did the 2nd triumvirate fall apart

Answer 3

-36 bc - octavian brided some of lepidus legions on him - which ends lepidus’ militray career
-tensions then grew between O and MA who both sough themselves to be JC heir - end in civil war in 32 bc
-gave rise to a propaganda battle to convince the people of rome abt visions fo the future

Question 4

how did octavian act as a benefactor of rome

Answer 4

-relised having the support of the urban poor was a powerful assest - so like Caesar before had the image of being very generous
-him and his followers make gifts to the people and the coty itself - bulid temples, public ameinities, money donations and grain dole

Question 5

what examples of the benefactory projects

Answer 5

• 42 BC - begins work on the temple fo the deified JC
• 34 BC - Statilius Taurus, an ally, comisions new stome amphitheater
• agrippa oversaw period of urban renewal - repair streets and sewage systems
• free admissions to public baths

desinged to imporve the quality of life and standard of living -futher O message - I care about and am invested in the city of Rome and its future

Question 6

which god did O chose to allign with

Answer 6

Apollo
related to ideal lives of romans
apollo was the god of - phrophecy, civilisation,disicipline, moderation and morality

Question 7

which god did MA allign himself with

Answer 7

Dinonysus
god of theatre,wine, reverly and asscoiated with the east
goes against roman values
promtoed luxery and induldgence and futhered MA associations in egypt

Question 8

why were gods useful for an ambutious politician - creating own personal brand

Answer 8

-comarketing - two didtinct things alongsisde one another for the purpose of impacting the percpetion of an audience
-usefulness is debatable - mailnyl a thing that the hellenistic kings do - whereas roman senaotrs should chose to allign with a patron diety - could be seen as an aspiring king

Question 9

how did O link to Apollo strengthen his image

Answer 9

-rumour that he was infact Apollos son
-divi fillius seems mroe impressive - 2 divine fathers
-link to alexander the great - mother concieved him in the same way - and alexander wwnt on to become o great miliatry leader - so enhanced octavian military strength

Question 10

what is the evidence for octavians asscoiation with apollo

Answer 10

suetonius 70
-‘feast if the twelve gods’- octavian dressed as apollo
-suetonius said it wa sthe subject of ‘scandalous gossip’ becasue of the adulterous behaviour of the guests

Question 11

what was standard role of roman wives

Answer 11

-support plotical career of husbands but prevented from holding politcal office
-marriages made/ broken for political purpose
-wives entertain the guests at home increaseing business and politics of the family
-well-behaved wives with a rep of chastity and duty could be a real assest

Question 12

who was livia

Answer 12

-came from a patrican family - Claudii - ideal as octaian could take advantage of family connections
-had two sons from previoius marrigae- Tiberius and Drusus
-highly intelligent and beautifiul
-filled the dutes of traditional roman matrona - spun all the clothes O wore whhing him popularity with consevatives who understood trad values

Question 13

bust of livia

Answer 13

31 BC
Egyptian basanite

She is expressionless - not overshadowing her husband - being a good Roman wife
She has a healthy skin and cheeks showing she is fertile (attractive to the Romans)
It is simplistic - more time for weaving as it is not spent on making her hair elaborate

Question 14

MA relationship with Cleo

Answer 14

Octavian was setting up a traditional household that would help strengthen his image but Antony was doing the opposite; he was distracted from his duties and was entertaining a love affair with Cleopatra
He was also in a bigamous relationship as he was still married to Octavia, Octavian’s sister  His choice of mistress caused a scandal in Rome because a man’s lover should have been of lower social status than himself (a slave, prostitute or foreigner), so that their children would not be legitimate. Cleopatra, however, was Antony’s social equal if not better
The pair had three children – Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene (40 BC) and Ptolemy Philadelphus (36 BC)  Cleopatra had previously been the mistress of Julius Caesar and bore him a son, Caesarion. Octavian was keen to downplay this and as a result, it is not mentioned by his artists or writers
In 36 BC, Antony moved to Alexandria to live with Cleopatra full-time
34 BC, he divorced Octavia, signalling the breakdown in alliance between Antony and Octavia and essentially signalling his ‘divorce’ from Rome

Question 15

how did O protray a -ve image of MA to the senate

Answer 15

-Octavian and his supporters smeared Antony’s image with accusations of anti-Roman behaviour, decadence and effeminacy. Accusing men of effeminacy was a common smear tactic as Roman men were expected to conform to a narrow idea of masculinity
-Octavian presented the idea that Cleopatra had bewitched him and that she was dangerous threat; Antony’s behaviour furthered this as he minted coins depicting himself alongside Cleopatra

Question 16

what were the interpretations of MA from roman perspective

Answer 16

Love-Struck Fool
Distracted for his love for Cleopatra so much that he aligned himself with eastern values
He now had a party lifestyle and took the role of Dionysus, understood to be hubristic in Rome
He did not care about what the Romans thought of him, despite knowing that his image could be damaged if public support went against him
Neglected his duty as a triumvir

political image
More likely that he was taking a ‘big picture perspective,’ hoping to improve his own image in the east as well as Rome’s
His main target was the wealthy eastern empire due to its potential benefits for Rome and himself. This would have helped his cause to stake a claim in power in Rome
He immersed himself in their culture, attaining the favour of the people of the east

Question 17

how did MA use the donations of alexandria to reduce the power of rome

Answer 17

-went on campaign to armeina
-roman tradition to celebrate victory in triumph through Rome
-however MA decided to parade through Alexandria insteas indictaing that he wanted to make Alexnadria the centre of the empire and reduce Romes power

-then he gave roman controlled land to cleo

Question 18

how did octavian seize MA will

Answer 18

-32 BC
-took it from the temple of vesta and went to the senate to read it aloud-MA wanted to be buried in Alexandria - signifing disloyalty to rome

Question 19

how did Octavian blame cleopatra

Answer 19

-bewitched MA
-so O took control of sentates army and convinced them to declare war on cleo and egypt

Question 20

how did O convince the romans that the war with Egypt was nessacary

Answer 20

-made it seem to be a war against a dangerous foreign power and not a civil war

Question 21

why did O not want a civil war

Answer 21

-rome plauged with civil war in early 1st cen
-could give the impression he wanted sole power
-romans were against having a king
-triumverate had been established to stabilise rome not divide it
-inherited JC legacy - wouldnt want to be seen as dictator in perpetuity if had not gained full support

Question 22

how did Octavian keep the senates support whilst the conflict with MA

Answer 22

-built his mausoleum at same time
-reinforce loyalty to the senate
-spend enternity in Rome unlike MA

Question 23

How did O allign himslf with the goddess Pax and why was it useful for him

Answer 23

-personify peace
-Pax Augusti - Augustan peace - co-marketed Pax
-ioconograhy inculded reference to peace
-corncuopia - abudance and prosperity - proper under O
-olive branch - represnt peace - octavian would bring it

Question 24

denarius showing Pax and Octavian

Answer 24

Date: 32-29BC

Obverse: bare head of Octavian

Reverse: Pax standing, left holding olive branch, right holding cornucopiae

Text: Caesar Divi Filius

Commissioned especially to pay his armies
Convey his promise to the soldiers and people of Rome – through war, peace
Goddess Pax (personification of peace) with her symbols of peace
Cleopatra the implied disruptor of peace
Connection to Caesar through text (divine son)

Question 25

when was the battle of actium and what happened

Answer 25

-31BC 2nd Sep - marked end of power struggle with MA
-hailed as one of the greatest miliatry victories in roman history
-MA and Cleo fled to Alexandria awaiting O advance
-Cleo tried to negotite with O - O unwilling to make a deal - was told she would be capured and taken to Rome
-Cleo did not want this so comitted suicide on 12th august 30Bc
-Octavian took Egypt as a roman province - depited in a mannar of a pharaoh

Question 26

how did O spin the battle of Actium to his favour

Answer 26

-ensured O sole command of rome as no one had the power/experience to realistically challenge him
-truth of battle was that it was problamatic
-ended in flight and surrender - not glorious defence of arms
-mostly Agrippa work not O
-romans against romans - civil war
-mostly romans died in the battle

-so O needed to spin a certain perception of himself and the battle within rome and overlook the neagtive reality to futher his public image

Question 27

who was Horace

Answer 27

-lyric poet
-patron was Maecenas - friend of O
-most of work praised A

Question 28

Horace Odes 1.37

Answer 28

Cleopatra
Date: 23BC
Significance: focuses on Cleopatra’s role in and after Actium (not Mark)

Key arguments:

The poem was directly addressed to the reader encouraging them to prepare for a feast

The focus of the poem is not Octavian but on Cleopatra

For majority of the poem he demonises her emphasising the danger she posed to Rome and her lack of control “a maddened queen was still plotting the Capitol’s and the empire’ ruin, with her crowd of deeply - corrupted creatures sick with turpitude, she, violent with hope of all kinds, and intoxicated”

The next lines are a problematic simile as she is compared to a dove fleeing from a hawk
Shows Octavian military superior but Cleopatra as venerable

Possible Horace chose dove with connection to Venus
Doves sacred and alluding to Cleopatras doomed love affair

The poem ends by addressing her suicide - Cleopatra is most impressive and no thought to flee → suicide was not shameful in Rome

Horace presents Cleopatra as a formidable enemy brought done by a superior force of Octavian - praises Octavian

Question 29

Horace Epode 9

Answer 29

-A Toast to Actium

Date: 30BC
Significance: : Celebrates Octavian’s victory at Actium

Key arguments:

One of the earliest works celebrating Octavian’s victory at Actium
Horace speaks of Octavian’s triumph, soon to be cele brated at Rome and creates a suitable atmosphere
He goes onto remind the reader of the reason for the battle → “A Roman, - you’ll not credit posterity— Sadly, ups stick and arms himself, For a women’s sake”

The unnamed Roman is Antony, he also does not name Cleopatra - reforming to her only as a ‘shameful paillon’ - not name MA - degrade his rep

By focusing on Antony and Cleopatra Horace is reminding the reader of why battle was necessary

The only mention of the battle is of that the Gallic King Amyntas deserted Antony and joins Octavian

He leaves the battle event vague and up to the readers imagination - compares to previous battles

Question 30

who was Propertius

Answer 30

-elegaic poetry
-wrote independently but some works was comissoned by Maecenas
-central theme was love for women - Cynthia -though this remains unclear
-debate of wether he was pro or anti Augustan

Question 31

Propertius Elegies 3.11

Answer 31

Date: 28BC
Significance: conveys the power of Cleopatra over Antony and the threat she posed to Rome
Key quotes: ‘the witch of Colchis’ (Medea + Jason), ‘Omphale’ (enslaved Hercules)

Key arguments:

Propertius is a writer of love poetry - he explains how he has been en- slaved by love for his unnamed lover

He presents himself as powerless against chains of love, subject to her power

Compares his situation to mythical heroes who had been ruled by love for powerful women - Jason, Achilles and Hercules - He then goes to explain how Cleopatra enslaved Antony in the same way: “Cleopatra, who heaped insults on our army, a woman worn by her own attendants who demanded the walls of Rome and the Senate bound to her rule, as a reward from her obscene husband”

The same as Horace, he refuses to name Antony - reduces his status im- plying that he was under her control

While reminding the audience that the marriage between Antony and Cleopatra was obscenity because it was bigamous

The poem goes onto contrast a threatening Egypt with a glorious Rome

He stresses the danger posed by Cleopatra by introducing iconic symbols of Egypt and answering each with an iconic symbol of Rome
In this way Cleopatra’s assault is made to seem particularly threatening and targeted

Like Horace, Propertius skips over the events of the battle, limiting his account to a few words: “You fled to the wanderings mouth of frightened Nile”

This clearly references to the fact that during the battle Cleopatra gave the order for Egyptian ships the battle Cleopatra gave the order for her Egyptian ships to flee

The poem ends with a reference to Apollo of Actium and an explicit warning to sailors on the Ionian sea to fear the might of Caesar

Praising Octavian’s victory over Cleopatra, glorifying the battle by stressing Cleopatra’s strength

The title ‘women’s power’ shows that he is under the thrall of his lover, which means he sympathises with Antony

His work presents Octavian’s victory over Cleopatra as glorious and Octavian is made to seem the saviour of Rome

Calls into question whether Antony is really to blame

Question 32

how was Actium commemerated

Answer 32

-visible gestures - permenent reminder that A was a benefactor
-29 BC - awarded triple triumph by senate
-gates of the temple of Janus was closed - singnalled that peace had been restored to rome and the empire
-trumpiherla arch built in the forum
-temple of diefied JC was decorated with prows of ships and weapons
-forunded Nikopolis - near the site of the battle

Question 33

what does the Res Gestae 25 say about Actium

Answer 33

-“The whole of Italy of its own violition swore allegiance to me and demanded that i lead them in the war that I won at actium”

Question 34

Denarius with Nike - winged goddess of victory

Answer 34

-laurel wireath - symbolise vicotry
-stood on prow of a ship - direct indication that this was to commemerate actium
-O shown during triumpheral procession with 4 horses