37. Study Questions Copy

1. What were the events that actually led to outright conflict between Antony and Octavian?

The Senate passed a vote to declare war on Egypt, declaring her an enemy of Rome. Octavian had already been preparing for conflict.

2. Read Cassius Dio’s account of the prelude to war and the battle itself. Make appropriate notes. What problems might we have with Dio as a source for these events?

Dio was writing two centuries after the events. This may give him distance to put the events in context but is chronologically distant from them. Also, although we have material relating to the time of Augustus, much of it is missing.

3. Who was in charge of Octavian’s forces? Make notes on this person and his role in the battle of Actium.

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa.

4. Do the sources substantially differ from each other? In what ways and how?

It is not so much that the sources differ factually, but they vary as to the extent to which they are biased towards Octavian. Velleius is writing during the reign of Tiberius, so is very biased towards Octavian. Plutarch is writing later, and Dio later still. The inclusion of long speeches attributed to Octavian should make you wary.

5. How is Cleopatra portrayed in the poetry of Virgil and Horace? Why is she portrayed in this way?

She is portrayed as the embodiment of a cultural threat to Roman values, embodying antithetical cultural and religious values. Both poets were supported by their patron Maecenas, one of Octavian’s closest advisors. These poems may have been part of a concentrated pro-Augustus propaganda campaign.

37. Study Questions Copy

37. Study Questions Copy

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