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 also protected by a tower and a body of troops.

Those that remained left behind, however, were captured or sunk by Octavian's forces.

Antony foresaw that he would not be able to defeat Octavian's forces, so he and Cleopatra stayed in the rear of the formation.

The Parthian Empire had supported Brutus and Cassius in the civil war, sending forces which fought with them at Philippi ; following Antony and Octavian's victory, the Parthians invaded Roman territory, occupying Syria, advancing into Asia Minor and installing Antigonus as puppet king in Judaea to replace the pro-Roman Hyrcanus.

The first was fought on October 3, 42 BC, in which Brutus defeated Octavian's forces, although Cassius was defeated by Antonius ' forces.

Lipara became a Carthaginian naval base during the first Punic War, but fell to Roman forces in 252-251 BC, and again to Agrippa in Octavian's campaign against Pompey.

After losing the Battle of Actium to Octavian's forces, Antony committed suicide.

Premature looting and gathering of treasure by Brutus's advancing forces allowed Octavian's troops to re-form their line.

The Ambracian Gulf near Berenikea was the site of the naval Battle of Actium, on 2 September 31 BC, in which Octavian's ( later Augustus ) forces defeated those of Mark Antony and Queen Cleopatra of Egypt.

A slight success over Octavian's tired soldiers encouraged him to make a general attack, in which he was decisively beaten.

Actium is chiefly famous as the site of Octavian's decisive victory over Mark Antony ( September 2, 31 BC ).

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, thus becoming de facto stepfather to Caesarion.

As a personal challenge to Octavian's prestige, Antony tried to get Caesarion accepted as a true heir of Julius Caesar, even though the legacy did not mention him at all.

Indeed, military operations began in 31 BC, when Octavian's general Agrippa captured Methone, a Greek town allied to Antony.

After Octavian's proposals for a conference with Antony had been scornfully rejected, both sides prepared for the final struggle next year.

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.

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.

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.

Antony made peace with Octavian in September 40 BC and married Octavian's sister Octavia Minor.

But by now, Antony was skeptical of Octavian's true support of his Parthian cause.

Octavian's loyal and talented general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa captured the Greek city and naval port of Methone, loyal to Antony.

Sometime after the publication of the Eclogues ( probably before 37 BC ), Virgil became part of the circle of Maecenas, Octavian's capable agent d ' affaires who sought to counter sympathy for Antony among the leading families by rallying Roman literary figures to Octavian's side.

* Antony alerted by Octavian's presence, sets up camp on the southern shore, at the promontory of Actium.

* The Egyptian fleet ( 60 warships ), including Cleopatra's treasure ship retreats to Taenarus, Antony transferred his flag to a smaller vessel and breaks through Octavian's line.

Back in Rome, a general brings forward the idea that Antony should marry Octavian's younger sister, Octavia, in order to cement the friendly bond between the two men.

While Antony cemented his hold in the East and reformed the provincial administration ( like Sulla's provincial reforms, Caesar's had been quietly ignored after his death ), Octavian tightened his grip on the West and nominally oversaw a campaign against the pirate commander Sextus Pompeius ( the campaign was actually commanded by Octavian's lieutenant, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa ), which culminated in victory in 36 BC.

Despite having married Octavia, Octavian's sister, in 40 BC ( Octavian had married Antony's stepdaughter Clodia Pulchra three years earlier ), Antony openly lived in Alexandria with Cleopatra VII of Egypt, even siring children with her.

Mark Antony had committed suicide prior to Octavian's entry into the capital ; Cleopatra followed his example by committing suicide on August 12, 30 BC.

When Antony and Cleopatra die, Pullo and his comrade Lucius Vorenus slip through Octavian's border guards with the child, though Vorenus is severely wounded.

A decade after Caesar's death, Octavian's victory over his erstwhile ally Mark Antony at Actium put an end to any effective opposition and confirmed Octavian's supremacy.

Octavian's fleet was commanded by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, while Antony's fleet was supported by the ships of Queen Cleopatra of Ptolemaic Egypt.

Finally, he indicates that in Octavian's triumphal march back in Rome, an effigy of Cleopatra that had an asp clinging to it was part of the parade.

Beginning with Caesar's assassination in 44 BC and ending with Octavian's victory over Anthony and Cleopatra at Actium in 31 BC, Rome had been engaged in a series of almost constant civil wars.

Octavian's power was further enhanced after his victory against the combined fleets of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, in the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, where Antony had assembled 500 ships against Octavian's 400 ships.

Thus, Octavian's victory at the Battle of 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.

* July – Octavian's fleet ( 102 warships ) embarked from Puteoli and tried to invade Sicily, it is caught in a storm and forced to return at Vibo.

" During the war, Octavian's soldiers at Perusia used sling bullets inscribed with insults directed at Fulvia personally and Octavian wrote a vulgar epigram directed at her in 40 BC, as recorded by Martial:

It was soon rebuilt at the request of Octavian's daughter Iulia and was then called Colonia Pietas Iulia Pola Pollentia Herculanea.

However, Octavian's victory at Actium also sounded the death knell of the Republic.

During Antony's civil war, the legion fought for Mark Antony until the defeat in the Battle of Actium, after which the legion moved into Octavian's army.

In 40 BC, the family was forced to flee Italy in order to avoid Octavian's proscriptions and joined with Sextus Pompeius in Sicily, later moving on to Greece.