#11 Battle of Actium - 31 BC (The Octavian Chronicles)

Editorial Review Author and historian Patrick J. Parrelli creates a spellbinding, historically exacting work of creative nonfiction in the twelve Octavian Chronicles.
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When the trumpet signal for the start rang out, Antony's fleet began issuing from the straits and the ships moved into line and remained quiet. Octavian, after a short hesitation, ordered his vessels to steer to the right and pass the enemy's ships. For fear of being surrounded, Antony was forced to give the word to attack. Antony's fleet numbered , [8] of which were large war galleys with towers full of armed men. He led these through the straits towards the open sea. Octavian had about warships. Antony and Gellius Publicola commanded the right wing of the Antonian fleet, while Marcus Octavius and Marcus Insteius commanded the center, [11] with Cleopatra's squadron positioned behind them.

Gaius Sosius launched the initial attack from the left wing of the fleet, while Antony's chief lieutenant Publius Canidius Crassus was in command of the triumvir's land forces. It is estimated that Antony had around ships, as opposed to the ships of Octavian's fleet.

Battle of Actium – 31 BC

What Antony lacked in quantity was made up for in quality of vessel , as his ships were mainly the standard Roman warship, quinqueremes with smaller quadriremes , heavier and wider than Octavian's, making them ideal weapon platforms. An "eight" war galley had around heavy marines, archers and at least six ballista catapults. Being larger than Octavian's ships, Antony's war galleys were very difficult to board in close combat and his troops were able to rain down missiles onto their smaller and lower opponent's ships.

The bows of the galleys were armored with bronze plates and square-cut timbers, making a successful ramming attack with similar equipment difficult. The only way to disable such a ship was to smash its oars, rendering it immobile and, hopefully, isolated from the rest of its fleet. The main weakness of Antony's ships was their lack of maneuverability; such a ship, once isolated from support of its fleet, could be swamped with boarding attacks.

However, many of his ships were undermanned with rowing crews; there had been a severe malaria outbreak while they were waiting for Octavian's fleet to arrive. Octavian's fleet was largely made up of smaller " Liburnian " vessels.

#11 Battle of Actium - 31 BC: Octavian: Rise to Power - Patrick J. Parrelli - Google Книги

A medium ballista was capable of penetrating the sides of most warships at close range and had an effective range of around yards. Most ballista firing was aimed at the marines on the fighting decks of the ships. Before the battle one of Antony's generals, Quintus Dellius , had defected to Octavian, bringing with him Antony's battle plans. Shortly after midday, Antony was forced to extend his line from the protection of the shore and finally engage the enemy.

Seeing this, Octavian's fleet put to sea. Antony had hoped to use his biggest ships to drive back Agrippa's wing on the north end of his line, but Octavian's entire fleet, aware of this strategy, stayed out of range. By about noon the fleets were in formation but Octavian refused to be drawn out, so Antony was forced to attack.

The battle raged all afternoon without decisive result. Cleopatra's fleet, in the rear, retreated to the open sea without engaging.


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A breeze sprang up in the right direction and the Egyptian ships were soon hurrying out of sight. Antony had not observed the signal, and believing that it was mere panic and all was lost, followed the flying squadron. The contagion spread fast; everywhere sails were seen unfurling and towers and other heavy fighting gear going by the board. Some fought on, and it was not until long after nightfall, when many a ship was blazing from the firebrands thrown upon them, that the work was done.

With many oarsmen dead or unfit to serve, the powerful, head-on ramming tactic for which the Octaries had been designed was now impossible. Antony transferred to a smaller vessel with his flag and managed to escape, taking a few ships with him as an escort to help break through Octavian's lines. Those left behind were captured or sunk.

A differing account of the battle is argued by J. He postulates that Antony knew he was surrounded and had nowhere to run. To try to turn this to his advantage, he gathered his ships around him in a quasi-horseshoe formation, staying close to the shore for safety. Then, should Octavian's ships approach his, the sea would push them into the shore.

Antony foresaw that he would not be able to defeat Octavian's forces, so he and Cleopatra stayed in the rear of the formation. Eventually Antony sent the ships on the northern part of the formation to attack. He had them move out to the north, spreading out Octavian's ships, which up until this point were tightly arranged.

He sent Gaius Sosius down to the south to spread the remaining ships out to the south. This left a hole in the middle of Octavian's formation. Antony seized the opportunity and, with Cleopatra on her ship and him on a different ship, sped through the gap and escaped, abandoning his entire force.

Battle of Actium

With the end of the battle, Octavian exerted himself to save the crews of the burning vessels and had to spend the whole night on board. The next day, as much of the land army as had not escaped to their own lands, submitted, or were followed in their retreat to Macedonia and forced to surrender, Antony's camp was occupied, bringing an end to the war. The political consequences were far-reaching. Under cover of darkness some 19 legions and 12, cavalry fled before Antony was able to engage Octavian in a land battle. Thus, after Antony lost his fleet, his army, which had been equal to that of Octavian, deserted.

Antony, though he had not laid down his imperium, was a fugitive and a rebel without that shadow of a legal position which the presence of the consuls and senators had given him in the previous year. Some of the victorious fleet went in pursuit of him; but Octavian himself visited Greece and Asia and spent the winter at Samos, though he was obliged to go for a short time to Brundisium to settle a mutiny and arrange for assignations of land. At Samos Octavian received a message from Cleopatra with the present of a gold crown and throne, offering to abdicate in favor of her sons.

She was allowed to believe that she would be well treated, for Octavian was anxious to secure her for his triumph. Antony, who had found himself generally deserted, after vainly attempting to secure the army stationed near Paraetonium under Pinarius and sending his eldest son Antyllus with money to Octavian and an offer to live at Athens as a private citizen, found himself in the spring attacked on two sides.

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Cornelius Gallus was advancing from Paraetonium and Octavian landed at Pelusium, with the connivance, it was believed, of Cleopatra. Antony was defeated by Gallus and, returning to Egypt, advanced on Pelusium. Despite a victory at Alexandria on 31 July 30 BC, more of Antony's men deserted, leaving him with insufficient forces to fight Octavian.

A slight success over Octavian's tired soldiers encouraged him to make a general attack, in which he was decisively beaten. Failing to escape on board a ship, he stabbed himself in the stomach upon mistakenly believing false rumors propagated by Cleopatra herself claiming that she had committed suicide.

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She was shortly afterwards brought to the palace and vainly attempted to move Octavian to pity. Cleopatra killed herself on 12 August 30 BC. Most accounts say she put an end to her life by the bite of an asp conveyed to her in a basket of figs. This victory, consolidating his power over every Roman institution, marked the transition of Rome from Republic to Empire.

Egypt's surrender following Cleopatra's death marked the final demise of both the Hellenistic Period and the Ptolemaic Kingdom , [23] turning it into a Roman province.


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