The Battle of Actium, 2 September31 BC, by Lorenzo A. Castro , painted 1672.The naval Battle of Actium took place on September 2, 31 BC, near Actium in Greece, during the Roman Civil War between Mark Antony and Octavian (later the Prince Augustus, known later as Roman Emperor). The fleet of Octavian was commanded by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, and the fleet of Antony supported by the fleet of his wife, Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt. The battle was won by the forces of Octavian and the date is often used to mark the beginning of the Roman Empire.
The fleets met outside the gulf of Actium, each perhaps over 200 strong (the totals given by ancient authorities are very conflicting). Antony's heavy octeres endeavoured to close and crush the enemy with their artillery; Octavian's light and mobile craft, probably quinqueremeA quinquireme was a galley, a warship propelled by oars, developed from the earlier trireme. It was used by the Greeks of the Hellenistic period and later by the Carthaginians and Romans, from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD. Construction In thes, made skilful use of skirmishing tactics. During the engagement Cleopatra suddenly withdrew her squadron and Antony slipped away behind her. His flight escaped notice, and the conflict remained undecided, until Antony's fleet was set on fire and thus annihilated.
A year after the battle, Antony and Cleopatra both committed suicide.
An account of the battle appears in VirgilFor other uses see Virgil (disambiguation). Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 19 BC) known in English as Virgil or Vergil Latin poet, is the author of the Eclogues the Georgics and the Aeneid this last being a narrative poem in twelve books that is's AeneidThe Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy where he became the ancestor of the Romans. Form and Tradition The Aeneid is an epic poem of twelve books, in consc.
