Master of Actium

Few battles have had such dramatic outcomes as the great sea battle at Actium in 31 BC. The defeat of Cleopatra and Marc Antony by Octavian ushered in a Roman revolution. Octavian became the Emperor Augustus and before long, with the Pax Romana, not only Rome was transformed from clay into marble, as the new leader boasted, but just about every corner of the new empire. After Actium, the world order changed. Of the many achievements marking this revolution – ranging from Virgil’s Aeneid to the Ara Pacis in Rome – the Victory City of Nicopolis, founded at Actium by Octavian, is truly remarkable. More remarkable still is the Actium Monument built on the hill overlooking the new town. Des