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Classics Warfare culture > Battle of Actium > Flashcards

Battle of Actium Flashcards

1
Q

When did it happen?

A

31BCE

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2
Q

Where did it happen?

A

Off the coast of Actium (Greece)

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3
Q

Side 1:

A
  • Rome, led by Octavion and Agrippa
  • 250 ships
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4
Q

Side 2:

A
  • Rome with Egypt, led by Antony and Cleopatra
  • 230 ships (60 of which were commanded by Cleopatra)
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5
Q

Who were the key individuals?

A

Octavion (Augustus)
Agrippa
Mark Antony
Cleopatra

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6
Q

What was the main cause of the battle?

A
  • 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
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7
Q

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

A
  • 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
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8
Q

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

A
  • 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
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9
Q

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

A
  • 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
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10
Q

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

A

(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
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11
Q

What happened after war was declared?

A
  • Antony gathered his enemies
  • They based themselves on the Western coast of Greece
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12
Q

What did Octavion do after Antony moved his forces?

A
  • Moved his forces near to where Antony’s forces were based
  • The winter of 32-31 BCE was spent on small land-based skirmishes
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13
Q

What did Octavion do in Spring and Summer of 31?

A
  • 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
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14
Q

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

A
  • 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
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15
Q

What happened when Antony’s ships set sail?

A
  • 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
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16
Q

What did Cleopatra’s ships do?

A
  • 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
17
Q

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

A
  • 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
18
Q

What were the short-term outcomes of the battle?

A
  • 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
19
Q

What happened to Egypt after the war was lost?

A
  • 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
20
Q

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

A
  • 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
21
Q

What were the cultural consequences of the Battle of Actium?

A
  • 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
22
Q

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

A
  • Led to establishment of Principat, with Emperors
  • Emperors had to prove themselves, such as through military conquest
  • Claudius saw Britain as an easy conquest
23
Q

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

A
  • 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
24
Q

How did the Battle of Actium reflect the societies involved?

A
  • 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
25
Q

How was the Battle commemorated?

A
  • 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
26
Q

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

A
  • 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
27
Q

What is the prescribed relief called?

A

The Praeneste relief

28
Q

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

A
  • 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
29
Q

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

A
  • Bireme
  • Sets of 2 oars per bank
30
Q

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

A

Agrippa and Augustus

31
Q

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

A
  • 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
32
Q

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

A

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

Classics Warfare culture (12 decks)

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