The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium
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- Create Date：2022-03-18 17:21:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Barry S. Strauss
- ISBN：B08LDXYWYF
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Summary
The gripping story of one of history’s most important and yet little-known wars， the campaign culminating in the Battle of Actium in 31 BC， whose outcome determined the future of the Roman Empire。
Following Caesar’s assassination and Mark Antony’s defeat of the conspirators who killed Caesar， two powerful men remained in Rome—Antony and Caesar’s chosen heir， young Octavian， the future Augustus。 When Antony fell in love with the most powerful woman in the world， Egypt’s ruler Cleopatra， and thwarted Octavian’s ambition to rule the empire， and another civil war broke out。 In 31 BC one of the largest naval battles in the ancient world took place—more than 600 ships， almost 200，000 men， and one woman—the Battle of Actium。 Octavian prevailed and subsequently defeated Antony and Cleopatra， who eventually committed suicide。
The Battle of Actium had great consequences for the empire。 Had Antony and Cleopatra won， the empire’s capital might have moved from Rome to Alexandria， Cleopatra’s capital， and Latin might have become the empire’s second language after Greek， which was spoken throughout the eastern Mediterranean， including Egypt。
In this riveting and exciting history， Barry Strauss， ancient history authority， describes this consequential battle with the drama and expertise that it deserves。 The War That Made the Roman Empire is essential history that features three of the greatest figures of the ancient world。
Following Caesar’s assassination and Mark Antony’s defeat of the conspirators who killed Caesar， two powerful men remained in Rome—Antony and Caesar’s chosen heir， young Octavian， the future Augustus。 When Antony fell in love with the most powerful woman in the world， Egypt’s ruler Cleopatra， and thwarted Octavian’s ambition to rule the empire， and another civil war broke out。 In 31 BC one of the largest naval battles in the ancient world took place—more than 600 ships， almost 200，000 men， and one woman—the Battle of Actium。 Octavian prevailed and subsequently defeated Antony and Cleopatra， who eventually committed suicide。
The Battle of Actium had great consequences for the empire。 Had Antony and Cleopatra won， the empire’s capital might have moved from Rome to Alexandria， Cleopatra’s capital， and Latin might have become the empire’s second language after Greek， which was spoken throughout the eastern Mediterranean， including Egypt。
In this riveting and exciting history， Barry Strauss， ancient history authority， describes this consequential battle with the drama and expertise that it deserves。 The War That Made the Roman Empire is essential history that features three of the greatest figures of the ancient world。
Reviews
Kelsey
，
The Battle of Actium and the events leading up to it are dense and twisted amongst many key players and places in history。 Strauss - as usual - does an excellent job piecing together the wide swath of information about all of those people and places without sacrificing details and keeping it easy to read and follow without ‘dumbing’ it down。 This book is thoroughly well researched and no matter how well you think you may know your Roman history everyone will find many new and interesting facts w The Battle of Actium and the events leading up to it are dense and twisted amongst many key players and places in history。 Strauss - as usual - does an excellent job piecing together the wide swath of information about all of those people and places without sacrificing details and keeping it easy to read and follow without ‘dumbing’ it down。 This book is thoroughly well researched and no matter how well you think you may know your Roman history everyone will find many new and interesting facts within。 Strauss does the readers a favor by pulling from many varied sources really bringing together a solid imagery of what it was like during the time of the battle。Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the chance to read an early copy of this for review！ 。。。more
Casper
，
Dr。 Barry Strauss Professor of the Classics at Cornell University adds to the story of how Rome expanded her empire。 The mythos of Cleopatra， Marc Antony， and the romance portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton。 This is not that， Strauss is both an eminent historian as well as an excellent writer able to convey history as well as do it in an enjoyable fashion。
Anne Morgan
，
I knew almost nothing about the Battle of Actium before reading this book so this was excellent in filling in some major blanks in my knowledge of ancient Rome。 Strauss does a good job of analyzing why anyone interested in ancient Rome should be interested in Actium and the lead-up to Actium and why this period in history is so important- why it could， in fact， have had major world shattering changes had Antony and Cleopatra won the battle （and the war） instead of Octavian and Rome。 Strauss also I knew almost nothing about the Battle of Actium before reading this book so this was excellent in filling in some major blanks in my knowledge of ancient Rome。 Strauss does a good job of analyzing why anyone interested in ancient Rome should be interested in Actium and the lead-up to Actium and why this period in history is so important- why it could， in fact， have had major world shattering changes had Antony and Cleopatra won the battle （and the war） instead of Octavian and Rome。 Strauss also analyzes source material and encourages readers to do the same， which always means we will know more about Rome and see Rome and Octavian in a more positive light since the victors write the histories。 I wasn't always happy with Strauss' writing style- it was often repetitive enough that I wasn't sure if he wasn't paying attention or he thought the reader wasn't paying attention。 Better and tighter editing would definitely have made this a better written book。 Overall this is a well-researched history on a time period and people we are more likely to "know" through Hollywood than history。 I was glad to read a book that put Antony， Cleopatra， and Alexandria into such solid historical context。I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
James
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this book is great 。 here is an amazon link to it if you want check out https://amzn。to/3tn52dF this book is great 。 here is an amazon link to it if you want check out https://amzn。to/3tn52dF 。。。more
Casey Wheeler
，
This book was well written and an engaging read。 It covers the interplay over time between Antony， Cleopatra and Octavian that led to the war at Actium。 I learned some new details about that time period and I enjoyed the fact that Cleopatra was an astute politician which is rarely presented when discussing her。 This book is much more than just the War between Antony and Cleopatra versus Octavian。 I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in this time period。I received a free Kindle copy of This book was well written and an engaging read。 It covers the interplay over time between Antony， Cleopatra and Octavian that led to the war at Actium。 I learned some new details about that time period and I enjoyed the fact that Cleopatra was an astute politician which is rarely presented when discussing her。 This book is much more than just the War between Antony and Cleopatra versus Octavian。 I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in this time period。I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley， Goodreads， Amazon， Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog。 。。。more
Tracie
，
The history of a war is usually written by the victors， especially the further back in time it happened。 Author Barry Strauss covers the events prior to the Battle of Actium in 31 B。C。 and the interesting people of the time period prior to Caesar's assassination until the battle， and shortly afterward。 He presents the facts that are generally agreed on， but he is clear about the bias of the ancient writers when it appears obvious。 The betrayals of people are brutal， especially for Marcus Antoniu The history of a war is usually written by the victors， especially the further back in time it happened。 Author Barry Strauss covers the events prior to the Battle of Actium in 31 B。C。 and the interesting people of the time period prior to Caesar's assassination until the battle， and shortly afterward。 He presents the facts that are generally agreed on， but he is clear about the bias of the ancient writers when it appears obvious。 The betrayals of people are brutal， especially for Marcus Antonius， but Octavian had a few betrayals too。 Both sides were liars in their propaganda campaigns just like today actually。 Cleopatra still remains mysterious， and I wish archaeologists would find her tomb or a stash of papyrus that would show a fairer side of her story。 Although Marcus Antonius had more battle experience than Octavian， he seems to have really blundered at Actium， one of the largest naval battles of the ancient world， on the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean。 Sea。 Marcus Agrippa， the admir。al of Octavian's forces was the real reason Octavian won and Marcus Antonius lost so many men and ships。 Though he and Cleopatra broke away and prolonged the war， Alexandria did not become the center of a new， different empire。 Professor Strauss includes notes on the sources used and writes for the layperson which I also enjoyed in his "The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination。" Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review。 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of this new history of the ancient world。Barry Strauss professor of history and classics at Cornell University has written in his book The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony， Cleopatra， and Octavian at Actium about Rome in the time following the assassination of Julius Caesar。 Among the fighting， arguing， feuding and retribution that followed two men， Mark Antony and Octavian， Caesar's heir and later to be known My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of this new history of the ancient world。Barry Strauss professor of history and classics at Cornell University has written in his book The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony， Cleopatra， and Octavian at Actium about Rome in the time following the assassination of Julius Caesar。 Among the fighting， arguing， feuding and retribution that followed two men， Mark Antony and Octavian， Caesar's heir and later to be known as Augustus gained power and prestige and soon these individuals would have to clash。 And they did so at the Battle of Actium。Professor Strauss does a wonderful job describing both the time and the places， giving a concise history of the events leading to these two men facing off。 Their are many figures in this history and all of them are described clearly， with plenty of backstory to fill in their place in history。 The writing never bogs down dn flows well。 Points are made， and made very clearly。 What is most interesting is that unlike some histories the role of women are not downplayed or ignore。 Cleopatra， Mark Antony's ally and love， is treated as a true politician， an Elizabeth I of her day。 A skilled leader who removed problem siblings and ruled a diverse people in difficult times， both war and peace， and did so will a large amount of good faith and love from her people。 Also Octavia， sister of Octavain， and wife of Mark Antony is given far more political savvy and shown to have her own machinations， far more than other historians wrote， or probably suspected。 A very well written history of a difficult time for Rome， a time where many possible outcomes could have occurred。 Professor Strauss has done a very good job of researching and writing this book which is far more readable than one expects of a book on ancient history。 Recommended for not only classics scholars， but for people who enjoy very good， very interesting history books。 。。。more
Margaret Sankey
，
I've long enjoyed Strauss' popular classics works， for their diverse sourcing （grave epithets， maritime archaeology， Greek comedies） and for his ability to describe people and events with easy familiarity， although always showing his work--how much weight to give propaganda on each side， and picking apart flattery from rumors and screeds。 The result in this volume is a reappraisal of Actium， not as a step by Octavian towards the obvious and inevitable victory of west over east， but as a pivotal I've long enjoyed Strauss' popular classics works， for their diverse sourcing （grave epithets， maritime archaeology， Greek comedies） and for his ability to describe people and events with easy familiarity， although always showing his work--how much weight to give propaganda on each side， and picking apart flattery from rumors and screeds。 The result in this volume is a reappraisal of Actium， not as a step by Octavian towards the obvious and inevitable victory of west over east， but as a pivotal event for the Mediterranean world， in which many of Antony and Cleopatra's decision make sense within the context of eastern client monarchs， the Parthians and local resources。 Strauss has a particular sensitivity to the role of Cleopatra and Octavia （as well as Fulvia， Atia and other powerful women）， and offers each person's strengths and weaknesses as a politician， strategist and leader。 This is a rich and compelling narrative， with the best lesson being to try to find （and keep） yourself an Agrippa。 。。。more
Caroline Palmer
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I received an eARC from NetGalley。 An absolutely fascinating and fresh look at a war and a battle everyone thinks they know everything about。 Fans of Roman History need to put this on their must read list！
Anneke
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Book Review: The War That Made the Roman Empire - Antony， Cleopatra， and Octavian at ActiumAuthor: Barry StraussPublisher: Simon & SchusterPublication Date: March 15， 2022Review Date: September 2， 2021I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。From the blurb:“The gripping story of one of history’s most important and yet little-known wars， the campaign culminating in the Battle of Actium in 31 BC， whose outcome determined the future of the Roman Empire。Fol Book Review: The War That Made the Roman Empire - Antony， Cleopatra， and Octavian at ActiumAuthor: Barry StraussPublisher: Simon & SchusterPublication Date: March 15， 2022Review Date: September 2， 2021I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。From the blurb:“The gripping story of one of history’s most important and yet little-known wars， the campaign culminating in the Battle of Actium in 31 BC， whose outcome determined the future of the Roman Empire。Following Caesar’s assassination and Mark Antony’s defeat of the conspirators who killed Caesar， two powerful men remained in Rome—Antony and Caesar’s chosen heir， young Octavian， the future Augustus。 When Antony fell in love with the most powerful woman in the world， Egypt’s ruler Cleopatra， and thwarted Octavian’s ambition to rule the empire， another civil war broke out。 In 31 BC one of the largest naval battles in the ancient world took place—more than 600 ships， almost 200，000 men， and one woman—the Battle of Actium。 Octavian prevailed and subsequently defeated Antony and Cleopatra， who eventually committed suicide。The Battle of Actium had great consequences for the empire。 Had Antony and Cleopatra won， the empire’s capital might have moved from Rome to Alexandria， Cleopatra’s capital， and Latin might have become the empire’s second language after Greek， which was spoken throughout the eastern Mediterranean， including Egypt。In this riveting and exciting history， Barry Strauss， ancient history authority， describes this consequential battle with the drama and expertise that it deserves。 The War That Made the Roman Empire is essential history that features three of the greatest figures of the ancient world。”——If there were just one book to take to that supposed island in the middle of the sea， this would be it。 Since I was 13， I intended to become a classicist， a tenured professor in the Classics。 Alas， life threw other interesting paths to follow。 But still， in my late age， I have been an ardent follower of Octavian， otherwise known as Augustus Caesar。I’ve read numerous books about his life， but I have to say that Professor Strauss’s The War That Made the Roman Empire holds the most depth and breadth to Octavian’s story。 Because the story is not really the whole story without the intertwining of Anthony and Cleopatra with Octavian。This writing is just gorgeous。 Easy to ready， without being dumbed down in any way。 Clearly， the book is written for those of us who want to details of these three lives， the wars， the governance， the relationships。This is such first class writing， that I think I will be hard put to find a better written book on Octavian， Antony and Cleopatra。 5 stars and highly， highly recommended。Thank you to Simon & Schuster for giving me early access to this treasure， and best of luck to Professor Strauss with his continued research and writing。 This review will be posted on NetGalley and Goodreads。#netgalley #thewarthatmadetheromanempire #barrystrauss #simon&schuster #augustuscaesar #theclassic 。。。more
William Harris
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