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GCSE Classics · key term
Julius Caesar’s adopted heir and Antony’s rival, who defeated Antony and Cleopatra and later became Rome’s first emperor under the name Augustus.
Used by OCR
Paper 2
Revise: RomeMuch of the surviving literary presentation of Cleopatra comes from writers belonging to the Roman world. Their accounts need careful evaluation: she was a foreign ruler, a powerful woman and an enemy of the eventual victor, Octavian. Descriptions of her as a dangerous seductress tell us about Roman fears and political rivalry, not simply about her character.
Remember that Octavian and Augustus are the same person. At Actium in 31 BCE he was Octavian; Virgil uses his later name, Augustus.
When assessing the threat, consider Egyptian resources and Antony’s Roman forces as well as Octavian’s propaganda. Cleopatra was neither merely a lover nor independently responsible for the whole war.
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