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- The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium by Barry Strauss
The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium by Barry Strauss
The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium by Barry Strauss
Following Caesar's assassination and the defeat of the conspirators who killed him, two powerful men dominated Rome. One was Mark Antony, Caesar's most reliable general. The other was Caesar's chosen heir, young Octavian -- the future emperor Augustus. Antony fell in love with the richest and most powerful woman in the world, Egypt's ruler Cleopatra, and together they thwarted Octavian's ambition to rule Rome. A civil war broke out, eventually leading to one of the largest naval battles in the ancient world. More than 600 ships, almost 200,000 menĀ -- and one woman -- fought at the Battle of Actium. Octavian prevailed; Antony and Cleopatra subsequently took their own lives.
The battle had great consequences for the empire. Had Octavian been defeated, the capital might have moved from Rome to Alexandria, Cleopatra's capital. Latin might have become the empire's second language after Greek, which was spoken throughout the eastern Mediterranean, including Egypt.
The War That Made the Roman Empire is a riveting history that features three of the greatest figures of the ancient world.
SIMON & SCHUSTER, HARDCOVER, 1ST EDITION, 1ST PRINTING, 2022.
THIS IS A BRAND NEW BOOK.