How The Battle Of Actium Changed Rome

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The Battle of Actium was an extremely significant historical event which changed Rome forever. This was a naval battle which took place in 31BC on the Ionian Sea, just off the coast of Actium, Greece. It happened after Julius Caesar’s death and was between his adopted son, Octavian and Mark Antony, who was a Roman politician and general. Antony and Cleopatra were defeated, leaving Octavian victorious. This was the beginning of a new Rome, an Empire. The old Republic was gone and Rome was changed forever.

Before the Battle of Actium, Rome was governed by a Republic;they had been since around 510BC, which is when they overthrew their last king, Tarquinius Superbus. The Republic system meant that the power was shared among the Senate and the wealthier citizens of Rome. The Republic was seen as a symbol of freedom to the people of Rome, they were very proud of the structure and organization of their government. However, during the growing division between the wealthy and poor at the time, the system that they were so proud of, began to collapse. The already wealthy were only acquiring more money, …show more content…

Their plan was to cross Italy but his advances were halted when Octavian sailed east with around 100 ships and landed in Dalmatica. At the same time Octavian’s right hand man, Agrippa sailed to the western Peloponnese. This maneuver cut off Antony's line of communication and made it difficult to supply his immense army. Having done this, Agrippa sailed to the north, established another important base at Patras, before finally joining Octavian. Time was on Octavian’s side. Agrippa’s operations meant that hunger was beginning to wear out Antony’s men, forcing them to fight at sea. Luckily for Octavian, this worked to his advantage. Eventually, Antony and Cleopatra were defeated in the battle and they both committed suicide, leaving the vast wealth of Egypt to Octavian, who made Egypt a new Roman

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