Although I am not a big fan of antiquity, it is a sin not to recall that the other day was the anniversary of the battle at Cape Actium - the last of the epic sea battles of the ancient world, which took place on September 2 31 BC. Since by that time the Mediterranean Sea had long ago turned into Mar Romanum, and Rome had no enemies left (pirates do not count), the Romans had to willy-nilly to blizzard each other. The reason was quite worthy - a fight for power between the two heirs of the slain Caesar - Mark Antony and Guy Octavius Furin.
In the Ambracian Gulf on the west coast of Greece, Octavia’s fleet blocked the combined fleet of Anthony and his girlfriend, Egyptian queen Cleopatra Philopator. The number of warring armadas in different sources varies greatly - from 260 to 400 ships. It is not clear who really possessed a quantitative superiority, but everyone agrees that Anthony’s ships were larger and heavier on average, but Octavius had more archers and throwing machines. In terms of training, the Octavian sailors were noticeably superior to the enemy; moreover, Anthony’s fleet was weakened by the epidemic of malaria, which knocked down many soldiers and rowers.
Anthony made a bet on rams, and the commander fleet Octavia Mark Vipsaniy Agrippa (Octavius himself was heavily lurking with sea sickness) - for remote combat and boarding. Agrippa's tactics turned out to be more advantageous. His light and maneuverable libourns, as a rule, managed to avoid ramming blows, and from the incendiary shells the catapults and ballista soon flared up many of Anthony's triremes and quadriremes.
Cleopatra's flotilla initially stood in reserve, but, sensing that the case literally smelled fried, the queen ordered to move forward and go for a breakthrough of the enemy's battle line. Behind her rushed the flagship Deutser Anthony and several other ships caught up nearby. Total escaped about 60 ships that went to Egypt, and the rest - burned or surrendered.
The loss of the Antoni fleet is estimated at approximately 200 ships and 5000 dead sailors. Octavians killed about two and a half thousand, the losses in the ships - are unknown.
Subsequently, the Roman historians, for whom Octavius became divine Augustus, and Anthony - a vile impostor (of course, if he won, then the estimates would change to the opposite), called a breakthrough from the Ambracian Bay shameful and cowardly flight. However, I would not be so categorical. If Anthony and Cleopatra chose as their goal not a heroic and senseless death in fire or in salty water, then they acted absolutely correctly. And what else could they do?
The battle of Actium and the return of Anthony to Egypt. Pictures of the Slovak artist Rado Javor.
Build Roman liburn.
Roman birema with ballista
Roman trireme and quadrireme with combat towers and boarding gangways.
In conclusion, a pair of Renaissance paintings depicting the battle of Actium. Judging by them, the then artists read the ancient authors, but had a very vague idea of what the warships of ancient Rome looked like.
