The Battle of Actium: A Reconsideration

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningpeer review

17 Citationer (Scopus)

Abstract

Ancient writers present, with one exception, a consistent account of how Antonius came to lose the battle of Actium on September 2nd 31 B.C. In these versions, while the battle was still raging, Cleopatra and her squadron took flight, and Antonius chose to join them. His abandoned fleet fought on bravely, but succumbed by the end of the day, and Antonius’ army of 19 legions surrendered to Octavian a few days later. However, until Cleopatra’s withdrawal, Antonius had been fighting for victory. The only divergent source is Dio, according to whom Antonius had been persuaded by Cleopatra before the battle to seek withdrawal by sea and was fighting with this objective (Dio 50.15; 30.3-4). However, even he does not maintain this interpretation consistently: when he comes to Cleopatra’s flight, he ascribes it to the queen’s panic (50.33.1.3).

Until the end of the nineteenth century, most scholars followed the ancient consensus. However, a few opted instead for Dio’s view that Antonius’ aim in the battle was to secure withdrawal, for example Gilles, Leake, Merivale, and Graviere. In 1899 Kromayer produced an exhaustive study of the battle which argued forcefully that Antonius aimed for withdrawal, and his interpretation, and much of the detail of his reconstruction, has remained the dominant view ever since. Almost all recent accounts adopt what is essentially Kromayer’s view of the battle. These writers maintain that by the time of the battle Antonius’ plight had become dire: he was thus obliged to seek withdrawal either by land or sea, and sea was the preferable option. The fleet Octavian deployed in the battle was nearly twice as numerous as Antonius’, and so Antonius can have had no realistic hope of victory. His aim was merely to escape with a substantial part of his force, which in effect he achieved.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftClassical Quarterly
Vol/bind61
Udgave nummer2
Sider (fra-til)607-622
ISSN0009-8388
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2011
Udgivet eksterntJa

Fingeraftryk

Dyk ned i forskningsemnerne om 'The Battle of Actium: A Reconsideration'. Sammen danner de et unikt fingeraftryk.

Citationsformater