Battle of Actium

in terms of the troops that they're able to bring to the table, in terms of who is supporting who.

Like, even at the height just before the Battle of Actium, where Octavian does some things that I'll get into later-

[laughs]

Some people in Rome leave.

You see Cleopatra much more in the style of a lover in the second part, whereas in the first part she's much more the politician.

Well, but we also see a dichotomy set up for her in terms of how men respond to her as a powerful individual.

So if we take the Battle of Actium as an example of this, she's on the main general ship, which, uh, makes sense.

You're not gonna put her in one of the war vessels.

So I ended up staying at Seton Hall for that degree, but doing a history degree.

And I read this one really weird, obscure article, because I was reading everything I could on Alexander, about Augustus after the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, that he goes and prays before the sarcophagus of Alexander.

And there's a joke about it that he may or may not have broken the nose off of the sarcophagus.

We don't know.

In reality, it gave the Roman Empire what still distinguished it from the monarchies of the East.

Caesarism, in the proper sense of the term, which may be described as a system resting on military loyalty to a quasi-royal family, lasted only from the Battle of Actium to the death of Nero.

With Vespasian came a prelude to the recovery of influence by that party in the Senate, which, sustained by the Stoic philosophy, had resisted pure absolutism.

The reform was retarded for an interval by the tyranny of Domitian, more frightful in its sheer oppressiveness than anything that had gone before.

...

Mark Anthony completely, okay? He had to go against Mark Anthony, and so he ended up going out to sea and defeating Mark Anthony in the Battle of Actium.

Now, watch this.

He comes back, and he enters Rome as the sole leader, this is Octavian, and the Senate gives him the honorary name Caesar Augustus.

I think we have to start with, um, the Emperor Augustus, uh, uh, and w- with the, the apparent clash that we hinted at between these rather perfect sculptural images we still have of him and the, the rather detailed and not so perfect description that we have in Suetonius.

Now, I think what we need to do is, for the moment, park the Suetonius description, come back to that, but to think about what Augustus or Augustus's advisors, Augustus's sculptors are doing with the image of Augustus when he establishes himself in power after the Battle of Actium in 31 CE.

And to- For me, you know, there are many, many revolutions that Augustus brought about in the Roman world.

Many.

We have such a second series coming up for you.

Much of it is already recorded and in the can, so I can exclusively reveal that in the coming months you can look forward to episodes, in no particular order, on Clodius, the Battle of Marathon, food and dining in ancient Greece, the Emperor Tiberius, the Athenian Empire, Arminius, the Catiline Conspiracy, the Emperor Julian, Mark Antony, the building blocks of epic poetry, Augustan monuments of the city of Rome, the Battle of Actium.

There'll be an episode on Hadrian and another one on Antinous.

We will learn how exactly Athenian democracy functioned.

This one displays Augustus' military might and his connection to Roman religion.

The Cupid figure that's down in the left-hand corner that's riding a dolphin, this symbolizes Augustus' naval victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium, which ends up being very important for Rome as it evolves from a republic to an empire.

Cupid also reinforces the belief that Augustus is descended from the gods, because we know his adoptive father, Julius Caesar, claimed descent from Venus.

And again, this statue isn't just art.

Jesus Christ made a pun on St. Peter, Moses on Isaac, Ascalus on Polynices, Cleopatra on Octavius.

And observe that Cleopatra's pun preceded the battle of Actium, and had it not been for it, no one would have remembered the Greek city of Torreen, a Greek name which signifies a ladle.

That once conceded, I return to my exhortation.

I repeat, brothers, I repeat it, no zeal, no hubbub, no excess, even in witticisms, gaiety, jollities, or plays on words.