Augustus (61 page)

“His small boats”
Ibid., 436.

“for the sake of ensuring harmony”
Vell Pat 2623.

According to Agrippa and Maecenas
Pliny 745.

“[Octavian] heard of the situation”
Dio 47 37.

“fog of war”
The phrase originated in the Napoleonic Wars and referred to the clouds of smoke produced by black gunpowder. The Prussian military thinker Karl von Clausewitz used the term to refer to the difficulty of getting reliable information, even of the most basic sort, during a war.

“returned looking more like porters”
App 4 112.

“Tell him I wish him”
Ibid.

“gave orders”
Val Max 171.

spent three days skulking
Pliny 7 148.

“Some committed suicide”
App 4 115–16. Perhaps a generic description.

“like women, inactive and afraid”
Ibid., 4123.

“as though they were tipping over”
Ibid., 4128.

“O wretched valour”
Dio 47 49 2.

“Yes, that’s right, but with our hands”
Plut Brut 52 3.

“a singularly gentle nature”
Ibid., 29 3.

“That’s a matter for the carrion birds”
Suet Aug 13 2.

Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus
He is the Enobarbus of Shakespeare’s
Antony and Cleopatra
.

“We two once beat a swift retreat”
Hor Odes 27. Some have argued that leaving one’s shield on a battlefield was a familiar literary device. Maybe, but it must often have happened in real life. There is no reason to disbelieve the often autobiographical poet.

VIII. DIVIDED WORLD

Appian and Dio are the main sources. Plutarch’s life of Mark Antony is important, especially his famous account of Antony and Cleopatra’s meeting at Tarsus.

“People came in groups”
App 512.

“From what other source”
Dio 48 8.

“He learned from actual experience”
Ibid.

“They came very near to killing”
Ibid., 48 9.

“The civilian population”
App 518.

“entirely clearing pirates”
Plut Pomp 26 4.

“To most people”
Plut Ant 24 4.

“circus-rider of the civil wars”
Sen Suas 17.

“[She] was in a barge”
Plut Ant 26 1–2.

“for the happiness of Asia”
Ibid., 26 3.

“the soldier rather than the courtier”
Ibid., 27 1.

“had earnestly devoted himself”
Dio 48 27 2.

“And why should anyone”
Ibid., 48 10 4.

surprised by a sudden sortie
Suet Aug 14.

“I seek Fulvia’s clitoris”
For these messages, see CIL 11 2.1 1901.

“[Octavian] took vengeance”
Suet Aug 15.

“our fatherland’s Perusian graves”
Prop 1223–4.

“Because Antony fucks Glaphyra”
Mart 11 20.

Octavian was accused of loose living
For the anecdotes that follow, see Suet Aug 68–70.

“Look how the queen’s finger beats the drum!”
Ibid., 68.

“aggravated her illness deliberately”
App 559.

“deeply attached to his sister”
Plut Ant 31 1.

“in military and Roman fashion”
Dio 48 30 1.

“Antony did not win general approval”
App 565.

IX. GOLDEN AGE

Appian and Dio are the main sources, with material from Suetonius. Plutarch’s life of Antony describes the encounter at Misenum in some detail. Two of Virgil’s eclogues and passages in the
Georgics
cast light on the political scene.

“He was tall”
Suet De Vir Ill, Life of Virgil 8–11.

“The Firstborn”
Virg Ecl 47–10.

about to leave politics
It is possible that the poem was written a year earlier, in 41
B.C.
, before Pollio’s consulship in 40
B.C.

“For my part”
Macr 2421.

As soon as the crowd
For this account, see App 568.

“My only ancestral home”
Plut Ant 32 3.

“Shall I cut the cables”
Ibid., 32 4–5.

gravis femina Sen Ep 870.

“I couldn’t bear the way”
Suet Aug 62 2.

“friendship gone mad”
Sen Ep 19.

the sex of her child
Suet Tib 14 2, Pliny 10 75 154–5.

Livia and the baby
Suet Tib 62.

“What are you doing”
Dio 48 44 3.

“How fortunate”
Suet Clau 11.

The Roman marriage ceremony
I am indebted to Carcopino, pp. 87–88, and to Smith, p. 252, for my account of Livia’s wedding.

an eagle flew by
Suet Galb 1.

White Poultry
Ad Gallinas Albas was rediscovered at Prima Porta outside Rome in the nineteenth century. Extensive ruins of the villa remain, although they are not open to the public. See
La villa di Livia a Prima Porta
(Rome, 1984), published by Messineo with coauthor Carmelo Calci in the series
Lavori e studi di archeologia, pubblicati dalla soprintendenza archeologica di Roma.

X. FIGHTING NEPTUNE

This chapter depends mainly on Appian’s militarily astute account of the Sicilian war in Book 5 of his
Civil Wars,
with some support from Dio and anecdotes from Suetonius.

“At daybreak, as he looked out”
App 588.

According to Homer
Hom Od 12 86ff.

“as broad as a wagon road”
Strabo 545.

“If the worst”
Plut Ant 35.

“Come and see me”
Hor Ep 1415–16.

“Of small build”
Ibid., 120.

“If I don’t love you”
Suet De Vir Ill (Life of Horace).

a lighthearted poem
The section that follows is based on Hor Sat 15.

“second Rome”
Cic Phil 12 3 7.

“for ball-games”
Hor Sat 1549.

“Here, like an utter fool”
Ibid., 1582–85.

“I will win this war”
Suet Aug 16 2.

“He took a beating”
Ibid., 70 2.

“to steal over”
App 5 109.

believing he was about to be captured
Pliny 7147–49.

“terribly distressed”
Dio 49 5 4.

“On the eve of the battle”
Suet Aug 16 2.

“bringing with him”
Vell Pat 2803.

“was hit on the breastplate”
App 5 125.

“You will when you’re dead”
Ibid.

142
…Antony’s approval
Ibid., 5144.

XI. PARTHIAN SHOTS

Appian and Dio are complemented by Plutarch, who in his life of Mark Antony covers the Parthian expedition in detail.

tribunicia sacrosanctitas There is confusion in the sources. Appian wrongly says Octavian became tribune for life, whereas Dio asserts simply
sacrosanctitas
. Dio gives two separate dates when Octavian was given full tribunician power or
potestas,
30 and 23; he may not have accepted the offer on the first occasion, or perhaps only certain powers. He first used
potestas
in 23.

“jealous of [Ventidius]”
Dio 49 21 1.

nobody saw anything especially scandalous
When Plut Ant 36 2 speaks of “deep resentment among the Romans,” this almost certainly reflects later propaganda about Cleopatra’s evil influence over Antony.

expelled a man from the Senate
Plut Cat 17 7.

“When your organ is stiff”
Hor Sat 1 2 116ff.

Horace had his bedroom:
Suet De Vir Ill (Life of Horace).

“every woman’s man”
Suet Caes 52 3.

he prepared for suicide
Florus 22010.

“greeted him”
Plut Ant 43 1.

“truly noble devotion”
Ibid., 54 2.

XII. EAST IS EAST AND WEST IS WEST

Dio’s and Appian’s histories of the Illyrian wars cover Augustus’ campaigning. Dio’s and Plutarch’s lives of Mark Antony describe the Donations of Alexandria. Strabo provides topographical information.

“considered to be the bravest”
Dio 49 36 3.

one leg and both arms
Suet Aug 20.

“beauty of person”
Florus 223; Florus (c.
A.D.
70 to c.
A.D.
140) wrote a history of Rome based on Livy.

Armenia was turned into a Roman province
Within a couple of years the political situation went into reverse, and both Armenia and Media returned to the Parthian fold.

“He had no complaint”
Dio 49 36 1.

Antony issued a coin
See Grant, Cleo, p. 169.

“give judgement on the Capitol”
Dio 5054.

“And the Alexandrians thronged”
C. P. Cavafy, “Alexandrian Kings.” In Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard, trans.,
Collected Poems
(London: The Hogarth Press, 1975).

XIII. THE PHONY WAR

For the city of Rome, see Stambaugh, Dupont, and Connolly & Dodge. Dio, and Plutarch’s life of Mark Antony, with support from Suetonius, are the main narrative sources.

Near it stood a hut
The bases together with post holes of three huts were recorded during excavations of this part of the Palatine in 1907. They can be dated to the eighth century
B.C.
, about the time of the legendary foundation of the city.

Agrippa took up the post of aedile
For his activities, see Dio 49 42.

“failed to conduct himself”
Suet Aug 17 1.

The Triumvirate’s second term
There is some dispute about the timing of triumviral terms. Appian says that the Triumvirate was due to expire at the end of 32
B.C.
However, some argue that that would imply an unevidenced break at the end of 37
B.C.
for one year. Augustus claims in
Res Gestae
an unbroken ten years as triumvir. On balance, the end of 33
B.C.
seems the most likely date.

“a madman”
Suet Aug 86 3.

“What’s come over you?”
Ibid., 69 2. I follow Michael Grant’s opinion that “
uxor mea est
” is the question “Is she my wife?,” not the statement “She is my wife.” See Grant Cleo, pp. 185–86. Some scholars believe that in 37 or perhaps 33 Antony agreed to become Cleopatra’s prince consort. As I write (pp. 156–57), this is unlikely.

“Your soldiers have no claim”
Plut Ant 55 2.

“Domitius and Sosius”
Dio 49 41 4.

“himself with a bodyguard”
Ibid., 50 5–6.

“As they did not dare”
Ibid., 50 2 5–6.

XIV. SHOWDOWN

Dio’s and Plutarch’s lives of Antony are the main sources. Carter gives the authoritative modern account of Actium.

the path to success
Jos Ant 15 [6, 6] 191.

a kind of personal plebiscite
The chronology is uncertain. I follow Syme RR, pp. 284ff.

“The whole of Italy”
Res Gest 25.

lodged his will with the Vestal Virgins
Some argue (for example, Grant Cleo, p. 193) that Antony would not be so stupid as to do this and that the document was a forgery. I disagree. Was Julius Caesar being stupid when he did the same thing before his planned departure for the east? There was a general assumption that people would play by the rules and avoid sacrilege.

Octavian read through the document in private
If the will was forged, or at least those parts of it that Octavian made public, why are there no reports of a rebuttal by Antony or his supporters?