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Death of Antony and Cleopatra
December 31, 2004
Death of Antony and Cleopatra
After Antony had attempted to forcibly take command of the army in Cyrene from L. Pinarius Scarpus but was refused, he considered suicide as the honorable Roman thing to do. However, perhaps he thought that final victory could still be secured if the forces in Alexandria could be properly compared. He left Cyrene and sailed back to Egypt where Cleopatra waited, likely now fretting her own political ambitions. There they waited for nearly a year while Octavian and Scarpus closed in around them....
Consuls of Rome 2nd Century BC
December 29, 2004
Continuing the list of Consuls into the 2nd Century BC, the familiar names of the imperator generals of the Late Republic begin to emerge....
Consuls of the 2nd Century BC
Battle of Actium
December 27, 2004
Battle of Actium
The civil war between Antony and Octavian seemed assured of dwarfing even the massive conflict between Caesar and his Republican opponents. Both sides had massive armies at their disposal, and Antony added the support Rome’s eastern client kings, including Cleopatra of Egypt. By mid-summer of 31 BC, Octavian’s war against his rival, though popularly characterized as being against the Egyptian Queen, had worked itself into little more than a stalemate....
Pamphylia
December 23, 2004
Pamphylia
Ancient Pamphylia was situated on the southern coast of modern Turkey, nestled between Lycia, Galatia and Cilicia. This relatively small region, in comparison to territorial borders of its neighbors was sharply contrasted by the Tarsus mountains in the north, limestone foothills in the west and rich fertile plains in the river valleys of the southern coastal region....
War between Antony and Octavian
December 21, 2004
War Between Antony and Octavian
As the legal arrangement for the triumvirate between Octavian, Antony and Lepidus (even though he was no longer an official part of the arrangement) expired at the end of 33 BC, 32 BC turned into a year of political posturing and strained anticipation. Without legal triumvir powers, Octavian technically reverted to no more than a leading member of the Senate, and the Consuls for 32 BC, Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus and C. Sosius both Antony supporters, sought to bring Octavian down....
Consuls 3rd Century BC
December 19, 2004
Consuls of Rome 3rd Century BC
The consuls list continues, and thanks to Varro, the from this point on is considered completely accurate.
Antony and Cleopatra
December 17, 2004
Antony and Cleopatra
After the defeat of the Republicans at Philippi, and Sextus Pompey in Sicily, Octavian set about organizing the west under his control. In the meantime, Marcus Antonius moved east to do the same, and to seek further glory against Parthia. Antony had met with Cleopatra of Egypt as early as 41 BC in Tarsus, and while Octavian struggled with his own problems, including Antony’s brother, in Italy, Antony was seemingly satisfied to allow the east to rest in political turmoil. He spent the winter of 41 and 40 BC with Cleopatra in Egypt, where she bore him twin children, and their affair blossomed....
Ancient Roman Wine Types
December 15, 2004
Roman Wine Types
The Romans indulged in several variety of wines. This brief charts highlights some of the basic styles made from a variety of grapes along with very specific grape products that were staples of the Roman diet.
Sextus Pompey
December 13, 2004
Sextus Pompey
After the pact of Brundisium, Sextus Pompey or Magnus Pius as he called himself, son of Gnaeus Pomepius Magnus, maintained a stranglehold in Sicily and on the Roman grain supply. A short lived agreement with Antony to work in cooperation against Octavian fell apart after Brundisium, but the two triumvirs were in no position to challenge Pompey’s naval superiority. By 39 BC, Pompey’s fleet was near to causing famine in Italy, but rather than risk immediate hostilities, the two Roman power brokers sought to appease their hostile neighbor and cut him in on the action....
Consuls 4th Century BC
December 11, 2004
Continuing the list of Roman Consuls, we've added the second page of several, covering the 4th century BC. Of interesting note was the emergence of rule under the military tribunes for several years, and repeat service as Consul for various men. While we hear little of constitutional irregularity for men such as C. Sulpicius Peticus or L. Papirius Cursor, who both served 5 times, in later periods such practices helped bring about the fall of the Republic.
Persusine War
December 09, 2004
Perusine War
In early 41 BC, Octavian returned to Italy from Philippi and was hard at work attempting to settle 40,000 veterans. He had a major problem in this task: a promise made that the legionaries would receive rich and fertile land around 18 major cities in Italy. This was an issue because the current inhabitants would have to be displaced, certainly a cause for serious social disorder....
Map of Corsica
December 08, 2004
The new enhanced Corsica Map page shows the exact location of the province as it relates to the empire as a whole. One more click will take you to the expanded and detailed Map of Corsica. We hope you enjoy the new map. The new province maps won't be available for sale in printed form for the time being. Demand for specific maps likely won't justify the expensive printing costs, but in the future we may package them as a complete set available on CD. Regardless, keep watching for more map additions.
Additionally, we issued the third edition of our Roman History Newsletter. Sign up to keep up to date on the latest additions on UNRV.com and in the world of Roman Archaeology. If you missed it, no worries, all our newsletters will be available in the archive.
Ancient Roman Wine
December 07, 2004
Ancient Roman Wine
Of the many contributions the Romans made to the world, both ancient and of those passed on to modern society, perhaps the most lasting was the art of wine (vinum) making. Wild grapes, though now nearly extinct, grew in abundance throughout the Mediterranean and were cultivated in earnest throughout the region. The Etruscans and Greeks were the preeminent wine consumers in Italy prior to the rise of Rome, and though wine was an important part of the Roman diet, it didn’t become the cultural icon of their society from the very start....
Philippi
December 05, 2004
Philippi
In 42 BC, Octavian and Antony combined their forces, 28 legions in total, and sailed across the Adriatic and into Greece. The ‘Liberators’ Brutus and Cassius had 19 of their own legions, which were heavily supplemented by auxilia provided by eastern client kingdoms. Brutus and Cassius had been plundering and taking control of the east for nearly two full years since the murder of Caesar. Despite having an army made up largely of Caesar’s former troops, they used this plunder and distributed it among the men to secure their loyalty....
Latin Via Ovid
December 04, 2004
Another review has been completed for our Roman Books section, thanks to community member Ursus. Not only are relevant items available for further research throughout the site, but our books section includes an ever growing list of Roman related Fiction and Non-Fiction books, Movies and Games.
Latin Via Ovid
Roman Consuls 5th Century BC
December 03, 2004
Thanks to Varro, and other ancient sources, we've been passed a complete (if somewhat flawed) list of Roman Consuls. Though the earliest part of the list has some inaccuracy, it highlights the top magisterial position of ancient Rome from beginning to end.
Second Triumvirate
December 01, 2004
Second Triumvirate
After forcing through his own political agenda in Rome, the situation with Antony was still precarious. Antony had reached Gaul and gathered strength from the legions stationed there. Together with Lepidus in Spain, the two were a formidable force. Octavian, despite having considerable strength himself, would be hard pressed to meet that challenge alone. By passing a law that found all the members of Caesar’s assassination plot to be guilty of a capital crime, he certainly couldn’t count on any support from that quarter, not that he wanted it....
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