- 6 months ago
đ *The Downfall of Mark Anthony & Cleopatra and the rise of the Roman empire - learn about the rise of the first Roman emperor, Augustus* đ
Join us in this episode of "Moments In Time" as we explore the legendary Battle of Actium, fought on September 2, 31 B.C. This epic confrontation saw Octavian's Roman navy decisively defeat the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, forever altering the course of history. The battle not only marked the end of the Roman Republic but also set the stage for the rise of the Roman Empire under Octavian, who would later be known as Augustus.
In this captivating episode, we delve deep into the strategic manoeuvres that led to Octavian's victory. What innovative tactics did he employ to outsmart Antony's larger fleet? How did the geographical layout of the battlefield play a crucial role in the outcome? Weâll also examine the psychological warfare at play, as both leaders grappled with their ambitions and fears in the face of impending defeat.
But the story doesnât end with the clash of ships. Weâll uncover the aftermath of the battle, including the dramatic escape of Antony and Cleopatra and their subsequent fates. How did their defeat impact the political landscape of Rome? What legacy did this battle leave behind for future generations?
Additionally, weâll highlight recent archaeological discoveries that lend credence to the historical accounts of the battle. From catapult balls to bronze rams, these findings provide tangible evidence of the fierce conflict that took place.
Whether youâre a history buff or just curious about one of the most significant events in ancient history, this episode promises to be both informative and engaging.
đ *If you enjoy exploring historical mysteries and uncovering the untold stories of the past, make sure to hit the "follow" button on our channel.
Join us in this episode of "Moments In Time" as we explore the legendary Battle of Actium, fought on September 2, 31 B.C. This epic confrontation saw Octavian's Roman navy decisively defeat the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, forever altering the course of history. The battle not only marked the end of the Roman Republic but also set the stage for the rise of the Roman Empire under Octavian, who would later be known as Augustus.
In this captivating episode, we delve deep into the strategic manoeuvres that led to Octavian's victory. What innovative tactics did he employ to outsmart Antony's larger fleet? How did the geographical layout of the battlefield play a crucial role in the outcome? Weâll also examine the psychological warfare at play, as both leaders grappled with their ambitions and fears in the face of impending defeat.
But the story doesnât end with the clash of ships. Weâll uncover the aftermath of the battle, including the dramatic escape of Antony and Cleopatra and their subsequent fates. How did their defeat impact the political landscape of Rome? What legacy did this battle leave behind for future generations?
Additionally, weâll highlight recent archaeological discoveries that lend credence to the historical accounts of the battle. From catapult balls to bronze rams, these findings provide tangible evidence of the fierce conflict that took place.
Whether youâre a history buff or just curious about one of the most significant events in ancient history, this episode promises to be both informative and engaging.
đ *If you enjoy exploring historical mysteries and uncovering the untold stories of the past, make sure to hit the "follow" button on our channel.
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TVTranscript
00:009 a.m. September 2nd, 31 B.C.
00:12By the time the sun sets today, one man will emerge the most powerful on Earth.
00:18His enemy, his rival, will be condemned to lose both his soulmate and his life.
00:24The plans were laid here that determined the course of the Western world.
00:30Thrust ahead by a forest of oars, thousands of men hurtle forward to meet their destiny.
00:36Thousands of men and one legendary woman, Cleopatra.
00:42Her fate is bound forever to what will happen here, off the shores of Greece, in the next few dangerous hours.
00:49It's a hard-fought, bitter struggle for absolute power and supremacy in Rome.
00:56And one man, one man and one woman, would win.
01:01It is called the Battle of Actium.
01:09It is called the Battle of Actium.
01:17Ancient historical accounts detail a gigantic naval engagement that involves the lives of some 250,000 men.
01:38A showdown that shapes the course of Western civilization and changes the history of the world forever.
01:46The Battle of Actium is one of the most famous battles in history and one of the most controversial.
02:10Skeptics say it never happened, that the ancient accounts are a web of lies and propaganda.
02:19Now, after over 2,000 years, one man is obsessed with separating out history's hard truth from beneath the smokescreen of centuries.
02:28The problem is, the battle occurred during a time of intense propaganda, and it was within the interests of the victor to present a story of the battle that conformed with the propaganda he had been giving out before the battle occurred.
02:43In his search for solid evidence, Bill Murray, at the University of South Florida, resorts to an advanced scientific arson, from x-rays of ancient weaponry, to a large-scale map of the battle based on satellite imaging.
03:00It demands a new kind of research, part cutting-edge science, part dirt archaeology.
03:07But there's only one way to test his latest theory.
03:14He will have to travel to Greece, to an ancient site near where the Battle of Actium actually took place.
03:23We hope to gain an understanding of an important event, and I hope to do it based upon verifiable, observable facts.
03:31In the end, it's this gigantic puzzle that is a lot of fun to put together.
03:37Bill Murray believes the truth about Actium is embedded here, in this forgotten Roman monument built near the site of the battle.
03:46He is convinced that this stone facade holds the key to understanding the climactic struggle for control of the ancient world.
03:54I came to the monument in 1978 for the first time, and when I looked at it, I knew that something special was there.
04:03It's just a pile of rocks, but it tells us so much.
04:07In recent years, Dr. Konstantinos Zakos of the Greek Archaeological Service has directed a full-scale excavation of the site,
04:15uncovering thousands of fragments from the monument.
04:18He has invited Bill Murray to view his discoveries, convinced they reveal new insights into the battle.
04:23We discovered more than 7,000 fragments, and still the excavation is in process.
04:36For 2,000 years, the artifacts have been concealed from view, the details of the battle shrouded in controversy.
04:43But all sides agree on one thing.
04:47It began in Rome with a cold-blooded murder.
04:53The murder victim?
04:55Julius Caesar, ruler of the Roman world, the most powerful man on earth.
05:02Too powerful, many say.
05:03The elite in Rome fear he will become a despot, that he will set himself up as a god.
05:09But Julius Caesar is all too mortal.
05:13Fire!
05:13Fire!
05:13Fire!
05:14Fire!
05:14Fire!
05:15Fire!
05:16Fire!
05:17Fire!
05:18Fire!
05:19Fire!
05:20Fire!
05:21Fire!
05:22Fire!
05:23Fire!
05:24Fire!
05:25Fire!
05:26Fire!
05:27Fire!
05:28Fire!
05:29Fire!
05:30Fire!
05:31Fire!
05:32Even before the blood-soaked body of Caesar is cold, the power struggle begins.
05:39A favorite is Mark Antony, Caesar's most trusted general, a national hero, a ladies' man, a hard-drinking soldier's soldier.
05:48Mark Antony was ruggedly handsome.
05:51Professor Robert Gerval at UCLA has analyzed the ancient accounts.
05:56Big, brave, strong, virile guy.
05:59His family claimed descent from the Greek god Hercules.
06:02And Anthony liked to play the part.
06:04And Anthony liked to play the part.
06:05Sometimes impulsive, always charismatic.
06:09To the men, he is one of their own.
06:11If we're trying to find a modern comparison in the American political experience, I might choose a young Teddy Roosevelt or John F. Kennedy.
06:24In terms of their popular appeal.
06:25In terms of their popular appeal, their charisma, their sense of being a courageous leader and honest.
06:31Anthony's competition is the adopted son of Caesar, Octavian, a pampered 20-year-old.
06:45Unlike Anthony, he's no hero.
06:50He suffers from a nervous stomach, but he's a master of mind games.
06:55I find him an extremely interesting man, and yet I don't think I would have liked him.
07:02He would have been a rather cold fish.
07:04Shrewd and calculating, where Anthony is impulsive, he knows when to lie in wait and when to strike.
07:17Octavian had a bad reputation before Actium in the ancient sources.
07:22He's described as ruthless, cruel, ambitious, and at the same time, frail, sickly, effeminate, cowardly.
07:34The only clue, perhaps, that he is destined for greatness?
07:37An unnerving gaze that chills his enemies.
07:44The two rivals, Octavian and Anthony, split in half the Roman world that is Caesar's legacy.
07:51Octavian will take the west, Anthony the east.
07:57As if to clinch the deal, Anthony even marries Octavian's beautiful sister, Octavia.
08:06The precarious balance of power might have lasted. It might have.
08:10If in 40 BC, Anthony hadn't met a woman like Noah.
08:16Cleopatra was a remarkable woman, unique. It's hard to think of any other woman in history or today that can compare with the Egyptian queen.
08:28Cleopatra VII of the Ptolemy dynasty is not Egyptian at all. She is Macedonian, heir to the empire of Alexander the Great.
08:37The historian Plutarch relates how Anthony meets Cleopatra on an official diplomatic mission.
08:47The attraction of her person, joining with charm of her conversation, and the character that attended all she said or did, was something bewitching.
08:59Anthony was reckless, acted on the spur of the moment, often honestly and with emotion.
09:07Cleopatra was more patient, calculating, and looking ahead.
09:14In some ways, she was much more like Octavian than she was like Anthony.
09:19If power is the ultimate aphrodisiac, then Cleopatra is irresistible.
09:26For she is the most powerful woman on earth.
09:31When Anthony spends the winter of 40 BC with Cleopatra, Octavian suspects his rival has been seduced by her power.
09:39He realizes that together, Anthony and Cleopatra pose a threat to his ambitions.
09:46Octavian's fears are more than justified.
09:50Bankrolled by his lover, Cleopatra, Anthony builds a formidable armada.
09:55Why is he building big ships?
09:58I have a suspicion that he is building them so that he can use them to attack cities in his attempt to wrest control of Italy from Octavian.
10:08At the business end of Anthony's massive dreadnoughts is an awesome piece of ancient engineering.
10:15A ram cast from as much as three tons of bronze.
10:20Oh, that's heavy.
10:22At the monument site, Dr. Zakos has found a bronze fragment he suspects may have come from the ram of one of Anthony's ships that actually fought at Actium.
10:31Wow. Touching history here.
10:35Exactly.
10:36In the water, it would come toward you like this.
10:40But while the tools of war are being assembled, the war of words is just as intense.
10:48With the skill of a modern day spin doctor, Octavian masterminds propaganda to recast his rival as a decadent fool.
10:58He posed with her for portrait paintings and statues, he representing Osiris or Dionysus, and she, Selene or Isis.
11:09This, more than all else, made him seem to have been bewitched by her through some enchantment.
11:15Anthony was the first Roman to make a woman his partner.
11:23And she was a partner in his political ambitions, his military campaigns and strategies, and above all in his public image and identity.
11:34To defend Cleopatra, Anthony does his best to boost her image with his troops.
11:41He has special coins minted to give her a take charge aura of sternness and authority.
11:47The goal of Anthony's PR blitz is to inspire the grunts in the warships, who will risk their lives for a woman.
11:5832 BC, Anthony and Octavian are on a collision course.
12:04Cleopatra pressures Anthony to divorce his wife Octavia, sister of Octavian.
12:10What was the critical factor was Anthony's stubborn refusal to give up and leave Cleopatra.
12:19Soon, Octavian strikes back.
12:22He arrives at the Senate with a bombshell.
12:25What he claims is Anthony's will.
12:28He wanted to be buried in Egypt, beside Cleopatra.
12:33This was giving up his Roman identity.
12:37By reading the will, Octavian has turned Cleopatra into the woman Rome loves to hate.
12:44She is declared an enemy of the state.
12:47And so in the summer of 31 BC, a potent mixture of lust and lust for power has brought them here.
12:55At the Straits of Actium on the western coast of Greece, two titanic forces are coiled to strike.
13:02Murray is convinced that at the monument, clues to the real battle have been staring experts in the face for decades.
13:12Not the archaeological donut, but the hole instead.
13:17What Murray found was indeed a systematic pattern of large, oddly shaped holes.
13:24I saw these nose-shaped cuttings and I thought, ah, there we are.
13:31That's the front of an ancient warship.
13:34If I'm right, it's cool.
13:36Murray realizes these empty sockets once held Octavian's most prized trophies of the Actium battle.
13:43Bronze rams, the business ends of Anthony and Cleopatra's warships.
13:47This is a monster.
13:52It ought not be here.
13:54Murray began to wonder if this monument was nothing less than an ancient trophy rack.
14:00But while Murray's theory was sound, it lacked one essential element, an actual ram from ancient times.
14:08I knew it was important, and yet we didn't yet have a warship ram.
14:13So that I could understand how the ship and the bow timbers and the ram all worked.
14:19I couldn't understand yet.
14:22Only if a ram were found would Murray be able to discover the meaning of the monument
14:27and verify with hard evidence what really happened at Actium.
14:31So what we're trying to do here is something called today experimental archaeology.
14:37We are taking the evidence that exists at this monument
14:40and we are trying to massage it as much as we can.
14:45Ancient chronicles record that by September 1st, 31 B.C.,
14:49Anthony's forces are bottled up in a narrow gulf.
14:54Blockading them, Octavian has cut off Anthony's supply routes.
14:58His goal? To starve Anthony into submission.
15:03Then, one night, from his vantage point high on a hill,
15:07Octavian sees a strange glow in the sky.
15:11Anthony's fleet is so undermanned,
15:14he has taken desperate steps to keep his assets from falling into enemy hands.
15:19Anthony is burning some of his own ships.
15:24But how many of Anthony's ships survive?
15:27And what will happen when his remaining forces face off against Octavian's mighty fleet?
15:36September 2nd, 31 B.C.
15:39The stage is set for a battle that has tantalized historians for centuries.
15:43A discovery off the coast of Israel 2,000 years later will finally allow archaeologists to assess the power of the forces arrayed at Octavian.
15:58For the first time, a completely intact warship ram is pulled from the Bay of Athletes.
16:07This priceless find now rests in the National Maritime Museum in the city of Haifa.
16:12I walk into the basement of the National Maritime Museum and there I see this gigantic three-dimensional object.
16:22I noticed this very odd shape and that odd shape I had seen somewhere else.
16:27And then I remembered, I had seen it at Nicopolis in 1978.
16:33At that time, it all snapped.
16:36I thought, aha, this ram is going to be able to help me to explain how those sockets at Augustus' monument actually worked.
16:44Using this bronze rosetta stone, Murray can now go back to the monument and unlock its secrets.
16:53By analyzing the ram sockets, he can reveal the size of the ships and the true scale of the battle on that day 2,000 years ago.
17:05September 1st, 31 B.C.
17:07Antony and Cleopatra's fleet is trapped inside the Gulf of Ambracia, his men encamped on the beach.
17:17Octavian's blockading naval forces are arrayed outside and camped nearby.
17:23What actually happened that day over 2,000 years ago remains clouded by controversy, distorted by time.
17:37The night before the battle, 140,000 of Antony and Cleopatra's men toughed out in their camp in a mosquito-infested marsh.
17:45Good luck tomorrow, boys. I'm going to be in my motor home.
17:51They're camping down in this low marshy area.
17:54They get bit by mosquitoes. Some of them get malaria.
17:57They become lethargic. They feel terrible.
18:00All the while, they feel that somehow having this Cleopatra woman around is a bad idea.
18:07To make things worse, they are haunted by an unnerving sight.
18:12The campfires of Octavian soldiers flickering just a few miles away.
18:20While Antony's men sit it out, their fate is caught in a tug of war between a handful of generals and a headstrong queen.
18:28Antony's generals resent Cleopatra to the man.
18:32The very presence of a woman, of Cleopatra on the battlefield, was an outrage to most of Antony's generals.
18:42Cleopatra, however, had brought the ships, had brought the treasury that supplied most of the provisions for the soldiers.
18:49The Queen insists their best hope is to fight their way out of the Gulf.
18:56If they can preserve as much of their navy as possible, they'll survive to fight another day.
19:02Antony's generals had urged him to retreat by land.
19:08According to the ancient sources, it was Cleopatra that insisted on a naval battle.
19:13When Antony agrees with Cleopatra, the generals go ballistic.
19:19Can they smell defeat? Or do they just resent being commanded by a woman?
19:22For Octavian and his men, the mood is decidedly upbeat.
19:29More than a hundred thousand strong, they are rested.
19:34And they have confidence in the man upstairs.
19:37He may be coldly calculated. He may be a loner.
19:41But Octavian is nobody's fool. And tonight, he gets a lucky break.
19:45In Octavian's tent, a secret guest has joined them.
19:52Delius, one of Antony's most trusted generals, has defected.
19:57And he's brought with him all of Antony's battle plans.
20:00Octavian couldn't have asked for a better spy at a better time.
20:05Fortified by an unexpected windfall of intelligence, Octavian personally assigns each of his generals his own mission in tomorrow's battle.
20:22With the information from the athlete Ram in Israel, Bill Murray has his own intelligence windfall.
20:28It will allow him to calculate the size of Antony's ships by measuring the ram sockets in the monument.
20:36I think what they did was they brought the ram up and sat it right in front of the wall.
20:41And then the stonemasons measured the back of the ram.
20:45They took its width and they transferred it to the wall.
20:48And then they cut in from the front using chisels.
20:52And you can see the chisel marks here. It's like...
20:54Using the ram sockets, Murray could calculate not only the size of the ram itself, but also the relative mass of Antony and Cleopatra's mightiest dreadnoughts.
21:07We've got half of the ram here in this block.
21:11So what we do is we just double it.
21:13That means that the width of the ram is 140 centimeters, which means it's a big ram.
21:18Just as exciting was the possibility that by calculating the size of Antony and Cleopatra's ships, the caliber of the Roman fleet that faced them could finally be estimated.
21:30The dimensions he arrives at are awesome.
21:33He suspects that the largest ships were rowed by over 600 men.
21:39Ships as long as a Boeing 767 and twice as wide.
21:45Dawn, September 2nd, 31 BC.
21:49Like enormous predators, Octavian's warships stir to life.
21:53To give you an idea of the scale, this ship which we see here, it's an inch and a half long, but in reality would have been about 150 feet in length.
22:03When we take 60 of these, which would have been in a squadron, and put them side by side, you can see how long they stretch.
22:10It gives you a real appreciation for the problems that would have faced the commanders a morning of September 2nd.
22:16Antony hopes to strike a stunning blow against his enemy, then catch the wind and get away back to Egypt.
22:25But his plan hinges on making it past the island of Lefkos before the wind dies.
22:33If this is the end of the island that he has to get around, the problem for Antony and Cleopatra is this.
22:38They have to advance their ships from the entrance to the Gulf, which is here, out far enough toward the west,
22:46so that when the sea breeze is blowing fully and they can raise their sails and turn southward,
22:51they miss the mass of the island of Lefkos that we see in the distance.
22:55Over there.
22:59Antony's men start to row out of the Gulf towards Octavian's fleet.
23:02Arrayed in a semicircle, Octavian's forces cannot be avoided.
23:09One way or another, a battle is inevitable.
23:13Which side gains the advantage first rests firmly on the backs of a hundred thousand oarsmen.
23:19Who are these men?
23:23Forget the Hollywood movement.
23:24They aren't slaves shackled to their benches.
23:28They are free men.
23:30Treated as expert labor, they are paid well above the minimum wage.
23:35And soon, they'll be worth every penny.
23:41Bill Murray explains to students in Athens the political muscle of the oarsmen at Actae.
23:48They were the ones who voted in the assembly.
23:50They were the ones who decided what foreign policy there would be.
23:54And, I mean, the rowers were the folks who called the shots in Athens.
23:58All right, here we go.
24:00Down, up, back.
24:03Murray shows students who are more used to jet skis
24:07what it takes to pull their own weight on the big ships.
24:10Down, up, back.
24:13Okay, you've gone 50 feet.
24:14Thousands would serve on triremes, ancient warships used by both sides.
24:21But to this day, not a single one from the period has ever been discovered.
24:26Built according to ancient specifications, the next best thing was launched on the Mediterranean in 1993.
24:32To experts like Murray, it's a shrine to the past.
24:38Walking its decks and sitting below provides him an extraordinary opportunity to see and feel what it was like for the men to row into battle at Actae.
24:48You've got to remember that this is a three, a trireme.
25:00As far as ships go, over the time of the Battle of Actae, it's a small ship.
25:04I'm sitting on a baby here.
25:06The biggest ships that were in the battle were much, much fatter, much, much broader.
25:09The vessel's not going to be as fast and it's not going to be as maneuverable, but boy is it going to be heavy.
25:17And you can get this in your mind's eye when you're sitting here.
25:22This complete feeling as when you're on a sailboat or when you're on a big ship and it's moving through the water.
25:28It's not just the sound, it's this entire feeling that comes into the center of your chest as the boat goes through the water.
25:49As Antony and Cleopatra's naval forces move forward, something unforeseen happens.
25:54Octavian's forces back off.
26:04Even though his men are hungry and tired, Antony has no choice but to push them hard and press his pursuit.
26:10Like the pistons of a turbocharged engine, Antony's oarsmen shift into high gear.
26:25Relentlessly, Antony's fleet is closing the gap.
26:31His ships aren't within ramming distance. Not yet.
26:36But both sides are close enough to bring out the big guns of ancient warfare.
26:42Its name in Greek means, through the shield.
26:47The catapult.
26:52Accessorize the arrow with a metal ring and some rags, and they're even deadlier.
27:06Bill Murray believes that at Antion, another even more formidable kind of catapult was used to rain death from above.
27:13These are tons and tons of stones that served as ancient artillery.
27:20This ball here that probably weighs about 12, 15 pounds, came from a machine that would have weighed as much as two or three Cadillacs.
27:34These kind of balls here would be used against soldiers.
27:41The worst damage this heavy artillery could inflict was psychological.
28:00The balls hit with such force, they could literally blow a man apart and strike terror into all those splattered with the victim's blood.
28:23Ancient accounts say the initial damage reports on both sides indicate the catapults have no decisive effect.
28:36Distance, 100 yards and closing.
28:43Now it all comes down to the ultimate weapon of ancient times, the ram, to attack Octavian's ship.
28:50But Octavian is too shrewd to allow that to happen.
29:02Antony's rowers are starting to tire.
29:05Will they catch up with Octavian's ships in time to destroy his fleet?
29:09Or will they be wiped out by Octavian's forces?
29:12Mark Antony's forces struggle to row within ramming distance of Octavian's retreating fleet.
29:31With her 60 ships, Cleopatra is positioned behind Antony's right flank.
29:35She bides her time, ready to stay or flee, depending on the outcome of the next dangerous half hour.
29:44Octavian's propaganda machine will later accuse Cleopatra of sitting it out to avoid losing her ships.
29:51Murray doesn't see it that way.
29:53Now she's not bearing the brunt of the fighting in the front line, but in the terms of Hellenistic warfare, we know that that second line was a very, very important line because it kept the enemy from shooting through the gaps between the individual ships in the front lines.
30:11My conclusion is she played a very large part in this whole enterprise.
30:15Cleopatra knows that the victory will be theirs if their fleet can catch Octavian's forces and smash them with the huge bronze rams on the front of their enormous ships.
30:33Murray believes he can unlock the age old secrets of this formidable weapon, now that he has an ancient ram as his key to the puzzle.
30:41This timber here explained for us how that ram works because these are the pieces that transfer the shock of the terrible collision resulting from a ramming blow to the bottom timbers of the hull of the vessel.
31:00If these timbers don't do their job, the vessel will fail and everybody on board will die.
31:05This one's big. The ones from Actium would be four times this size and even larger.
31:15What we learned after examining the timbers was the fact that this monstrous piece acts as a big shock absorber.
31:22And that's the key right there because when this weapon runs into an opposing ship, the shocks are transmitted down along this timber into the bottom planks that make up the vessel.
31:33So if the ramming timber and whales are this big for this weapon here, then the one that is on the largest ram at the Battle of Actium is this big.
31:47Often weighing as much as three tons, each ram warhead is an extraordinary creation.
31:54But Murray didn't realize how extraordinary until he subjected it to in-depth analysis by x-ray.
32:02The results were astonishing.
32:07We just marvel at what was accomplished 2,000 years ago, 2,300 years ago.
32:15When you cast something this big, you tend to get bubbles in the metal.
32:19And the process of controlling the cooling of the melt of the metal that goes into the ram is one that determines how sound the eventual piece of metal is.
32:31The x-rays revealed the ram was ingeniously designed.
32:36The front of the ram, which bears the brunt of the impact, has no imperfections to give it maximum strength where it counts.
32:42What you find is evidence for the technological superiority of the bronze founder.
32:51Not only were they making a very, very large weapon in a single pore, but they were getting a very, very high-grade quality of cast.
33:00Scientists believe the ram functioned as the ship's warhead to inflict tremendous damage.
33:06It's not easy to create a weapon like this.
33:10They had to have 30, 40, 50 furnaces arranged in a circle, we presume, and then time the opening of the gates so that the metal all came out at the same point and went into this cast.
33:22That's to make one ram.
33:23How about to make the 630 rams that are represented on the ships at the Battle of Actium?
33:28It gives us an understanding and appreciation for the kind of expertise that these people had and applied to their military.
33:36They were able to produce a casting grade that today we call aircraft grade and quality.
33:42It's efficient, it's well made, it's technologically superior, and it's beautiful.
33:50Just how strong is the impact?
33:52Imagine a freight train hitting a brick wall at 100 miles per hour.
33:55Murray concludes that the ramming force of Anthony's attack will be decisive, but Anthony will have to catch them first.
34:05And ancient chronicles indicate that's exactly his problem.
34:102 p.m., Anthony's men have had to row for almost two hours just to make contact with the enemy.
34:17Now, Anthony's fleet has finally caught up with them, but his starving, depleted crews are tiring fast.
34:23It is hot down here.
34:27Hundreds of bodies close together.
34:30You're sweating it.
34:32You're rowing 35 strokes a minute.
34:34And what comes out of your lungs is more hot, moist air.
34:37And you can only row at peak efficiency for a short period of time, before you start to dehydrate.
34:43Pretty soon, you start to lose it.
34:45Anthony and Cleopatra's rowers are near exhaustion.
34:48And perhaps only now, when it is too late, do they realize that Octavian has patiently waited for this moment to hit them with everything he's got.
35:00voro
35:15Backing away from Anthony's fleet, Octavian has done more than push Anthony's rowers to the brink of exhaustion.
35:19He has lured them out into the open sea.
35:21He has lured them out into the open sea.
35:25Here the widening gaps between Anthony's ships will make them vulnerable to attack.
35:33Now it's time for Octavian's Roman marines to do battle.
35:38For the men who survived the catapult barrage, it's payback time.
35:44If the oarsmen are the muscle of the warship, these marines are its killing machines,
35:49each with his own deadly specialty.
35:534 p.m.
35:55Using his almost two to one advantage, Octavian's fleet assaults each of Anthony's giant ships from the rear and sides.
36:02The Roman writer Plutarch described it this way.
36:06There were always three or four vessels of Caesar's, about one of Anthony's,
36:11pressing them with spears, javelins, poles, which they flung among them.
36:16Anthony's men using catapults also to pour down missiles from wooden towers.
36:22Slow down!
36:24As the enemy ships move within a hundred yards of each other, the fierce barrage intensifies.
36:30The idea is you want to cause as much fear and panic among the enemy as possible.
36:44So you want to shoot the guys on the deck.
36:46So as these ships are rowing faster and faster, and you hear the people urging on the war crews,
36:53and the oars are splashing, splash, splash, splash.
36:56And you've got...
36:57You've got these volleys of arrows and projectiles and stones going back and forth.
37:02Octavian would never dare face one of Anthony's massive rams head-on.
37:16But now he can ram them from the sides, where they're all too vulnerable.
37:20We'll win! Confirm yourself!
37:26Octavian's rowers accelerate to ramming speed.
37:29speed slowly relentlessly the ship builds momentum
37:59and for those in its path
38:01there is no escape
38:02things buckled
38:29things crack
38:30there's sounds
38:31people are screaming
38:32and then they back up again
38:35and then these guys
38:36who are throwing sling bullets
38:37and shooting arrows
38:38are lobbing things at one another
38:40at hundreds of miles an hour
38:42now Octavian orders his men
38:47to ready their grappling
38:48they climb aboard
38:52like a siege force
38:53reaching the walls of a fortress
38:55a conflict that began with the clash of the mightiest ships of ancient times
39:08will end at the point of a sword
39:11on the defensive against a confident enemy
39:16Antony's marines are a motley army of Greeks, Italians and Syrians
39:21they do not burn with the desire to save him
39:25their only common cause
39:27survival
39:294.30pm
39:31Cleopatra sees that the tide has turned against them
39:35she orders a signal flag raised to alert her 60 ships
39:38to add to her disgrace
39:42her only way out is to sail right through the gap
39:45in the center of Antony's line
39:46the ancient sources
39:48and Octavian's propaganda
39:50claim it was feminine impatience
39:52and cowardice
39:54that prompted the queen
39:55when the moment of battle was still undecided
39:59to flee
40:00like a woman
40:01but actually this was probably what Antony
40:04had in fact devised
40:06as a strategy
40:07that when the battle was engaged
40:09and the ships in conflict
40:11Cleopatra
40:13with her ships
40:14with her treasury
40:15would find the opening
40:17and would break free
40:18as Octavian's troops
40:22battled their way aboard some ships
40:23they set others ablaze
40:25the Greek historian
40:32Dio Cassius writes
40:33the fire spread to the encircling walls
40:36and descended into the whole world
40:38some
40:38and particularly the sailors
40:41perished by the smoke
40:42before the flames
40:43so much as approached them
40:44while others were roasted
40:46in the midst of it
40:47as though in ovens
40:49many of Antony's men
40:57choose to end their own lives
40:58for them
41:02as for the Romans
41:03suicide in battle
41:04is an honorable death
41:06and more merciful
41:07than being burned alive
41:08historian Dio Cassius reports
41:12those alone found a death
41:15that was tolerable
41:16who were killed
41:18by their fellows
41:18in return for the same service
41:20for they not only
41:21had no tortures to endure
41:23but when dead
41:24had the burning ships
41:26for their funeral pyres
41:275pm
41:32seeing that his forces
41:33are overwhelmed
41:34Antony boards
41:35a smaller ship
41:36to escape
41:37some of Antony's burning fleets
41:43sink
41:43their rams
41:44lost with them
41:45but the Romans
41:46bring many more
41:47damaged ships
41:48back to shore
41:49Murray believes
41:53that as was
41:53the Roman custom
41:54Octavian would have offered
41:5610% of his captured ships
41:58to the god
41:58because there are
42:0036 ram sockets
42:02he has concluded
42:02that the total number
42:03of ships captured
42:04from Antony
42:05during the summer long war
42:06was at least 360
42:07and over a third
42:09Murray believes
42:10Octavian won
42:11in this sea battle
42:12surprisingly
42:14these numbers
42:15are in fundamental agreement
42:16with long disputed
42:17ancient accounts
42:18while the exact extent
42:25of the battle
42:26remains a source
42:27of controversy
42:27experts do agree
42:29that Antony's commitment
42:29to Cleopatra
42:30is unshaken
42:31by 6 that evening
42:33he joins her
42:34on her flagship
42:35historians report
42:37that the defeated
42:38Antony
42:39is inconsolable
42:40he and Cleopatra
42:42must have shared
42:42the chilling awareness
42:43that their cause
42:44is lost
42:45that now
42:45they are fighting
42:46for their lives
42:47they chart a course
42:52back to Egypt
42:53but nowhere
42:54will they be safe
42:55wherever they go
42:57Octavian
42:58will come after them
42:59and for Octavian
43:00the battle of Actium
43:02will not be won
43:03until he has hunted down
43:04Antony and Cleopatra
43:06and destroyed them
43:07for a year
43:14after his victory
43:15at Actium
43:16Octavian has marched
43:17across Africa
43:18and Asia
43:19strengthening his grip
43:21over the eastern end
43:22of the empire
43:22one of Octavian's
43:24favorite sayings
43:25was
43:25festinalente
43:26hasten slowly
43:28and that's what Octavian
43:30did
43:30after Actium
43:31by the time Octavian
43:33almost a year
43:34after Actium
43:36invaded Egypt
43:38Antony and Cleopatra
43:40were alone
43:41August 1st 30 BC
43:44Octavian approaches
43:45the gates of Alexandria
43:47the last stronghold
43:48of Antony and Cleopatra
43:50now as the Romans
43:52tighten the noose
43:53around the city
43:54Antony has his
43:55worst fears confirmed
43:57when he gazes
43:59into the harbor
44:00he sees his own rowers
44:01raise their oars
44:02in surrender
44:03to Octavian
44:04now
44:05as even his own
44:06most loyal troops
44:07desert him
44:08Antony takes refuge
44:09behind the walls
44:10of Alexandria
44:11Plutarch gives a story
44:14that Antony
44:15had a trusted slave
44:18called Eros
44:19and Antony
44:20had asked Eros
44:21to take his sword
44:23and to drive it
44:24into his chest
44:26but it's one command
44:28Eros does not obey
44:30it is well done
44:34Eros
44:34said Antony
44:35you show your master
44:37how to do
44:38what you had not
44:38the heart to do
44:39yourself
44:40but death
44:43does not come quickly
44:44he chooses to die
44:47with Cleopatra
44:48Plutarch
44:49describes the moment
44:50those that were present
44:52say that nothing
44:53was ever more sad
44:54than this spectacle
44:55to see Antony
44:57covered all over
44:58with blood
44:59and just expiring
45:00thus drawn up
45:01still holding up
45:02his hands to her
45:03and lifting up
45:05his body
45:05with the little force
45:06he had left
45:07historians point
45:10to these ancient
45:10accounts
45:11of their final moments
45:12together
45:12as proof
45:13that their bond
45:14went deeper
45:15than power politics
45:16if Antony
45:18really didn't love
45:19Cleopatra
45:20he surely fooled
45:22everyone in Rome
45:23and everyone in history
45:25Antony
45:27at any time
45:28could have
45:30repudiated
45:30the queen
45:31removed her
45:32from power
45:33returned to Rome
45:35but he didn't
45:37now with Antony
45:40dead
45:40Cleopatra
45:41is powerless
45:42Octavian's soldiers
45:44imprison Cleopatra
45:45in her own palace
45:46there she receives
45:49a surprise visitor
45:50Octavian himself
45:52he has come to meet
45:55the woman
45:55he has slandered
45:56as a harlot
45:57and he will later
45:58write that even now
45:59she is trying
46:01to seduce him
46:01or is that only
46:03propaganda too
46:04Octavian wants her
46:06alive
46:07as his prisoner
46:08even more precious
46:10than the rams
46:10he won at Actium
46:11she will be
46:12his human trophy
46:13Cleopatra
46:16plays for time
46:17to orchestrate
46:19her own suicide
46:20some experts
46:23believe that
46:23Cleopatra
46:24had already
46:24experimented
46:25with different
46:26poisons
46:26to find the most
46:27fast acting
46:28and painless one
46:28it was said
46:30that she used
46:31live prisoners
46:32as her guinea pigs
46:33to test the poison's
46:34toxic effects
46:35this basket
46:38holds the instrument
46:39of death
46:40which most ancient
46:41accounts say she chose
46:42but not all agree
46:44Plutarch who
46:46gives us
46:47the story
46:48of the basket
46:49of figs
46:50and the asp
46:51admits
46:52that no one
46:53actually knows
46:54how Cleopatra
46:56died
46:57if Cleopatra
47:00does die
47:01from the asp
47:01its venom
47:02is more than
47:03just a swift way
47:04to end it all
47:05a symbol
47:06of the sun god
47:07the snake
47:08holds a sacred
47:09meaning
47:10she believes
47:11that death
47:12by its venom
47:12will make her
47:13a deity
47:14in the next world
47:15Cleopatra
47:17is the last
47:19of the pharaohs
47:20after she
47:21and Antony
47:21died
47:22Octavian
47:23assumes the name
47:24Caesar Augustus
47:25and founds
47:26the Roman Empire
47:27few Romans
47:29would have believed
47:31would have imagined
47:32that this
47:34sickly
47:35young
47:35man
47:36would become
47:37the greatest
47:37of the Roman
47:38emperors
47:39which he did
47:40the battle
47:42of Actium
47:43becomes the
47:43foundation myth
47:44of the Roman Empire
47:45to glorify
47:47his triumph
47:48Emperor Augustus
47:49builds a city
47:50at the site
47:51of his battle camp
47:52he names it
47:53Nicopolis
47:54Victory City
47:55he was following
47:57here the tradition
47:57of Alexander the Great
47:59who had founded
48:00Victory Cities
48:01throughout the East
48:02and his conquests
48:04the city is intended
48:06as a boost
48:06to the local economy
48:07and a perk
48:08for loyal veterans
48:09who fought for him
48:10against Antony
48:11at the monument
48:13ancient visitors
48:14could marvel
48:15at the rams
48:16of Antony
48:16and Cleopatra's ships
48:17trophies displayed
48:19for all the world
48:20to see
48:20over the centuries
48:22Caesar Augustus'
48:24victory city
48:25has crumbled
48:25but the towering
48:27legacy
48:27of his victory
48:28changed the world
48:30it was a raised platform
48:32with Augustus
48:33the first Roman emperor
48:34we get a western
48:36orientation
48:37it's not coming
48:38out of the East
48:39it's not Alexandrian
48:40it's not Greek
48:41it's Latin
48:43it looks toward Europe
48:44and that sets up
48:46western European history
48:47of which we are
48:49all the product
48:50so you can say
48:51that the modern world
48:53evolves out of
48:54the events
48:55resulting from
48:57the Battle of Actium
48:58ironically
49:00the last great
49:01naval battle
49:02of ancient times
49:03brings the longest
49:04period of peace
49:05in history
49:06300 years
49:07all of it
49:09from a single
49:10moment in time
49:11Antony and Cleopatra
49:19and Octavian
49:20locked in the battle
49:21that changed history
49:22forever
49:23let's go
49:25oh
49:26let's go
49:29let's go
49:46let's go
49:51let's go
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