On 2 September 31 BC, off the western coast of Greece, the fleet of Octavian, commanded by his friend Marcus Agrippa, defeated the combined forces of Mark Antony and Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt. In the middle of the battle Cleopatra's squadron withdrew and Antony followed her, abandoning his men, who surrendered. Octavian pursued them to Alexandria, where both committed suicide in 30 BC. Egypt, the last great Hellenistic kingdom, became a Roman province and its grain fed Rome. Octavian was now the sole ruler of the Roman world.
Before and after
- 20 March 43 BCEBirth of Ovid
- 7 December 43 BCEDeath of Cicero
- 16 November 42 BCEBirth of Tiberius
- from 37 BCE to 668 CEGoguryeo
- 2 September 31 BCEOctavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra at Actium
- 12 August 30 BCEDeath of Cleopatra
- 18 August 29 BCEOrigins of Temple of Caesar
- 28 BCEOrigins of Mausoleum of Augustus
- from 27 BCE to 284 CEPrincipate
More in Wars, politics & history
- 587 BCENebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and the First Temple
- from 499 BCE to 449 BCEGreco-Persian Wars
- from 431 BCE to 404 BCEPeloponnesian War
- from 218 BCE to 201 BCESecond Punic War
- 43 CERome invades Britain
- 17 January 395 CEThe Roman Empire is permanently divided
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 1st century BCE.