On This Day In History: The Battle Of Actium – Sep 2, 31 BC

AncientPages.com - On September 2, 31 BC, a significant historical event occurred outside the Gulf of Actium in Greece. The fleet of Roman Mark Antony and Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, met the fleet of Octavian leader known as the emperor Augustus after 27 BC.

Battle of Actium, Sep 02, 31 BC oil on canvas by Lorenzo A. Castro, 1672. National Maritime Museum, London.

It was a short sea battle. Mark Antony’s ships were built for ramming and sinking enemy vessels. However, they were also seriously understaffed due to a malaria outbreak that had struck the crew.

Before their forces were defeated, Antony and Cleopatra broke through the enemy lines and fled to Egypt, where they would commit suicide the following year. On the other hand, Octavian ships were smaller and fully crewed with healthy crews.

Octavian drew Antony’s fleet out, and sometime after mid-day, Antony engaged his enemy. It was apparent that the battle was not going well for Antony. Cleopatra raised sail with her sixty ships and left the battle for the open ocean. Antony immediately left his command ship and followed Cleopatra with forty of his ships, leaving some 5,000 men and 300 ships to be destroyed by Octavian.

Why Cleopatra left the battle has always been a matter of speculation.

This short battle resulted in a complete victory for Octavian, but for Antony, it was one defeat after another.

Antony and Cleopatra fled to Alexandria. When Octavian’s army in 30 BC defeated their troops there, both committed suicide and left Octavian the kingdom of Egypt and all its riches and the whole of the Roman Empire.

Later Octavian executed Cleopatra’s son, Caesarion, and annexed Egypt into the Roman Empire. Cleopatra’s treasure was to pay off his veterans.

Less than three years after the battle, he declared himself Emperor Augustus Caesar. He ruled a peaceful, prosperous, expanding Roman Empire until he died in 14 AD at 75.

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