Battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was the decisive confrontation of the Final War of the Roman Republic , a naval engagement between Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra on 2 September 31 BC , on the Ionian Sea near the city of Actium , in the Roman province of Epirus vetus in Greece . Octavian ' s fleet was commanded by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa , while Antony ' s fleet was supported by the ships of Queen Cleopatra of Ptolemaic Egypt . Octavian ' s victory enabled him to consolidate his power over Rome and its dominions . He adopted the title of Princeps ( " first citizen " ) and some years later was awarded the title of Augustus ( " revered " ) by the Roman Senate . This became the name by which he was known in later times . As Augustus , he retained the trappings of a restored Republican leader , but historians generally view this consolidation of power and the adoption of these honorifics as the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire . Prelude . The alliance commonly known as the Second Triumvirate , renewed for a five - year term in 38 BC , broke down when Octavian saw Caesarion , the son of Julius Caesar and the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII , as a major threat to his power . That occurred when Mark Antony , the other most influential member of the Triumvirate , abandoned his wife , Octavian ' s sister Octavia Minor , and moved to Egypt to start a long - term romance with Cleopatra , becoming de facto stepfather to Caesarion . Such an affair was doomed to become a political scandal . Mark Antony was inevitably perceived by Octavian and the majority of the Roman Senate as the leader of a separatist movement that threatened to break the unity of the Roman Republic . Octavian ' s prestige and , more importantly , the loyalty of his legions , had been initially boosted by Julius Caesar ' s legacy of 44 BC , by which 19 - year - old Octavian was officially adopted as Caesar ' s only son and the sole legitimate heir of his enormous wealth . Mark Antony had been the most important and most successful senior officer in Caesar ' s army ( " magister equitum " ) and , thanks to his military record , claimed a substantial share of the political support of Caesar ' s soldiers and veterans . Both Octavian and Mark Antony had fought against their common enemies in the civil war that followed the assassination of Caesar . After years of loyal cooperation with Octavian , Mark Antony started to act independently , eventually raising the suspicion that he was vying to become sole master of Rome . When he left Octavia Minor and moved to Alexandria to become Cleopatra ' s official partner , he led many Roman politicians to believe that he was trying to become the unchecked ruler of Egypt and of other eastern kingdoms , while still maintaining his command over the many Roman legions in the East . As a personal challenge to Octavian ' s prestige , Antony tried to get Caesarion accepted as a true heir of Caesar , even though the legacy did not mention him . Antony and Cleopatra formally elevated Caesarion , then 13 , to power in 34 BC , giving him the vague but alarming title of " King of the Kings " ( Donations of Alexandria ) . Being a son of Caesar , such an entitlement was felt as a threat to Roman republican traditions . According to a widespread belief , Mark Antony had once offered a crown to Caesar . Thereafter , Octavian started a propaganda war , denouncing Antony as an enemy of Rome , asserting that he was seeking to establish a personal monarchy over the entire Roman Empire on the behalf of Caesarion , circumventing the Roman Senate . It was also said that Antony intended to move the capital of the empire to Alexandria . As the Second Triumvirate formally expired on the last day of 33 BC , Antony wrote to the Senate that he did not wish to be reappointed . He hoped that he might be regarded by them as their champion against the ambition of Octavian , whom he presumed would not be willing to abandon his position in a similar manner . The causes of mutual dissatisfaction between the two had been continually accumulating . Antony complained that Octavian had exceeded his powers in deposing Lepidus , in taking over the countries held by Sextus Pompeius , and in enlisting soldiers for himself without sending half to him . Octavian complained that Antony had no authority for being in Egypt ; that his execution of Sextus Pompeius was illegal ; that his treachery to the king of Armenia disgraced the Roman name ; that he had not sent half the proceeds of the spoils to Rome according to his agreement ; and that his connection with Cleopatra and the acknowledgment of Caesarion as a legitimate son of Caesar were a degradation of his office and a menace to himself . During 32 BC , a third of the Senate and both consuls allied with Antony . The consuls had determined to conceal the extent of Antony ' s demands . Gnaeus Ahenobarbus seems to have wished to keep quiet , but Gaius Sosius on 1 January made an elaborate speech in favor of Antony , and would have proposed the confirmation of his act had it not been vetoed by a tribune . Octavian was not present , but at the next meeting made a reply of such a nature that the consuls both left Rome to join Antony ; Antony , when he heard of it , after publicly divorcing Octavia , came at once to Ephesus with Cleopatra , where a vast fleet was gathered from all parts of the East , of which Cleopatra furnished a large proportion . After staying with his allies at Samos , Antony moved to Athens . His land forces , which had been in Armenia , came down to the coast of Asia , and embarked under L . Canidius Crassus . Octavian was not behind in his strategic preparations . Military operations began in 31 BC , when Octavian ' s general Agrippa captured Methone , a Greek town allied to Antony . But , by the publication of Antony ' s will , which had been put into his hands by the traitor Plancus , and by carefully letting it be known in Rome what preparations were going on at Samos and how entirely Antony was acting as the agent of Cleopatra , Octavian produced such a violent outburst of feeling that he easily obtained Antony ' s deposition from the consulship of 31 BC , for which he had been designated , and a vote for a proclamation of war against Cleopatra - well understood to mean against Antony , though he was not named . In doing this , the Senate issued a war declaration and deprived Antony of any legal authority . The battle . Antony meant to anticipate an attack by a descent upon Italy towards the end of 32 BC , and went as far as Corcyra . But finding the sea guarded by a squadron of Octavian ' s ships , he retired to winter at Patrae while his fleet for the most part lay in the Ambracian Gulf , and his land forces encamped near the promontory of Actium , while the opposite side of the narrow strait into the Ambracian Gulf was protected by a tower and troops . After Octavian ' s proposals for a conference with Antony had been scornfully rejected , both sides prepared for the struggle the next year . The early months passed without notable event , beyond some successes of Agrippa on the coasts of Greece , meant to divert Antony ' s attention . It was not until the latter part of August that troops were landed in the neighbourhood of Antony ' s camp on the north side of the strait . Still Antony could not be tempted out . It took some months for his full strength to arrive from the various places in which his allies or his ships had wintered , and during these months not only was Agrippa continuing his descent upon Greek towns and coasts , but in various cavalry skirmishes Octavian had so far prevailed that Antony abandoned the north side of the strait and confined his soldiers to the southern camp . Cleopatra now earnestly advised that garrisons should be put into strong towns , and that the main fleet should return to Alexandria . The large contingent furnished by Egypt gave her advice as much weight as her personal influence over Antony , and it appears that this movement was agreed . Octavian learned of this and debated how to prevent it . At first of a mind to let Antony sail and then attack him , he was prevailed upon by Agrippa to give battle . On 1 September he issued an address to his fleet , preparing them for battle . The next day was wet and the sea was rough . When the trumpet signal for the start rang out , Antony ' s fleet began issuing from the straits , and the ships moved into line and remained quiet . Octavian , after a short hesitation , ordered his vessels to steer to the right and pass the enemy ' s ships . For fear of being surrounded , Antony was forced to give the word to attack . Order of battle . The two fleets met outside the Gulf of Actium ( today Preveza ) , on the morning of 2 September 31 BC . Antony ' s fleet numbered 500 , of which 230 were large war galleys with towers full of armed men . He led these through the straits towards the open sea . Octavian had about 250 warships . Octavian ' s fleet was waiting beyond the straits , led by the experienced admiral Agrippa , commanding from the left wing of the fleet , Lucius Arruntius the centre and Marcus Lurius the right . Titus Statilius Taurus commanded Octavian ' s armies , who observed the battle from shore to the north of the straits . Mark Antony and Gellius Publicola commanded the right wing of the Antonian fleet , while Marcus Octavius and Marcus Insteius commanded the centre , with Cleopatra ' s squadron positioned behind them . Gaius Sosius launched the initial attack from the left wing of the fleet , while Antony ' s chief lieutenant Publius Canidius Crassus was in command of the triumvir ' s land forces . Combat . The battle raged all afternoon without decisive result . The majority of Mark Antony ' s warships were quinquereme s , huge galleys with massive rams , that could weigh up to 300 tons . Antony ' s ships were often furnished with grappling irons , which were effective if hurled successfully , but if they failed were apt to damage the ship or to cause so much delay as to expose the men on board to the darts from the smaller vessel . The bows of the galleys were armoured with bronze plates and square - cut timbers , making a successful ramming attack with similar equipment difficult . Unfortunately for Antony , many of his ships were undermanned ; there had been a severe malaria outbreak while they were waiting for Octavian ' s fleet to arrive . Making the best of the situation , he burned those ships he could no longer man , while clustering the remainder tightly together . With many oarsmen dead or unfit to serve , the powerful , head - on ramming tactic for which the quinqueremes had been designed failed . Octavian ' s fleet was largely made up of smaller , fully manned Liburnian vessels , armed with better - trained , fresher crews . Octavian ' s ships were generally smaller , but more manageable in the heavy surf , capable of reversing their course on short notice and returning to the charge or , after pouring in a volley of darts on some huge adversary , able to retreat out of range with speed . They were lighter and could outmaneuver the quinqueremes , where one objective was to ram the enemy ship and at the same time attack the above - deck crew with a shower of arrows and catapult - launched stones , which were large enough to decapitate a man . Before the battle , one of Mark Antony ' s generals , Quintus Dellius , had defected to Octavian , bringing with him Mark Antony ' s battle plans . Antony had hoped to use his biggest ships to drive back Agrippa ' s wing on the north end of his line , but Octavian ' s entire fleet , aware of this strategy , stayed out of range . Shortly after midday , Antony was forced to extend his line from the protection of the shore and finally engage the enemy . Cleopatra , in the rear , could not bear the suspense , and in an agony of anxiety , gave the signal for retreat to open sea , without engaging . A breeze sprang up in the right direction , and the Egyptian ships were soon hurrying out of sight . Antony had not observed the signal , and believing that it was mere panic and that all was lost followed the flying squadron . The contagion spread fast ; everywhere sails were seen unfurling , and towers and other heavy fighting gear going by the board . Some fought on , and it was not until long after nightfall , when many a ship was blazing from the firebrands thrown upon them , that the work was done . Mark Antony transferred to a smaller vessel with his flag and managed to escape , taking a few ships with him as an escort to help break through Octavian ' s lines . Those left behind were captured or sunk . J . M . Carter argues in " The Battle of Actium : The Rise and Triumph of Augustus Caesar " that Antony knew he was surrounded and had nowhere to run . To try to turn this to his advantage , Antony gathered his ships around him in a quasi - horseshoe formation , staying close to the shore for safety . Then , should Octavian ' s ships approach Antony ' s , the sea would push them into the shore . Antony foresaw that he would not be able to defeat Octavian ' s forces , so he and Cleopatra stayed in the rear of the formation . Eventually , Antony sent the ships on the northern part of the formation to attack . He had them move out to the north , spreading out Octavian ' s ships which up until now were tightly arranged . He sent Gaius Sosius down to the south to spread the remaining ships out to the south . This left a hole in the middle of Octavian ' s formation . Antony seized the opportunity and with Cleopatra on her ship and him on a different ship , sped through the gap and escaped , abandoning his entire force . With the end of the battle , Octavian exerted himself to save the crews of the burning vessels , and had to spend the whole night on board . On the next day , much of the land army as had not escaped to their own lands submitted or were followed in their retreat to Macedonia and forced to surrender , and Antony ' s camp was occupied , bringing an end to the war . Aftermath . The political consequences were far - reaching . Under cover of darkness some 19 legions and 12 , 000 cavalry fled before Antony was able to engage Octavian in a land battle . After Mark Antony lost his fleet , his army , which had been equal to that of Octavian , deserted in large numbers . Antony , though he had not laid down his imperium , was a fugitive and a rebel , without that shadow of a legal position which the presence of the consuls and senators had given him in the previous year . Some of the victorious fleet went in pursuit of him ; but Octavian himself visited Greece and Asia , and spent the winter at Samos ; though he was obliged to go for a short time to Brundisium to settle a mutiny and arrange for assignations of land . At Samos , Octavian received a message from Cleopatra with the present of a gold crown and throne , offering to abdicate in favour of her sons . She was allowed to believe that she would be well treated , for Octavian was anxious to secure her for his triumph . Antony , who had found himself generally deserted , after vainly attempting to secure the army stationed near Paraetonium under Pinarius and sending his eldest son Antyllus with money to Octavian and an offer to live at Athens as a private citizen , found himself in the spring attacked on two sides . C . Cornelius Gallus was advancing from Paraetonium ; and Octavian landed at Pelusium , with the connivance it was believed of Cleopatra . Antony was defeated by Gallus , and , returning to Egypt , advanced on Pelusium . Despite a victory at Alexandria on 31 July 30 BC , more of Mark Antony ' s men deserted , leaving him with insufficient forces to fight Octavian . A slight success over Octavian ' s tired soldiers encouraged him to make a general attack , in which he was decisively beaten . He tried to flee from the battle : as a result of a communication breakdown he believed that Cleopatra had been captured . Failing to escape on board a ship , he stabbed himself . He did not die at once and insisted on being taken to the mausoleum in which Cleopatra was locked up , and died in her arms . She was shortly afterwards brought to the palace and vainly attempted to move Octavian to pity . Cleopatra committed suicide , on 12 August 30 BC . In one account , she put an end to her life by the bite of an asp conveyed to her in a basket of figs . Octavian had Caesarion killed later that year , finally securing his legacy as Caesar ' s only ' son ' . Octavian ' s victory at Actium gave him sole and uncontested control of " Mare Nostrum " ( Our Sea , i . e . , the Roman Mediterannean ) and he became " Augustus Caesar " and the " first citizen " of Rome . This victory , consolidating his power over every Roman institution , marked the transition of Rome from Republic to Empire . Egypt ' s surrender following Cleopatra ' s death marked the final demise of both the Hellenistic Period and the Ptolemaic Kingdom .