Roman Civ Quiz 3 Dates

April 43 BCE

Battle of Mutina: forces of Antony v. Octavian and senatorial forces. Senatorial forces emerge victorious, but the two consuls (Hirtius and Pansa) die in the fighting. Antony escapes to Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.

November 43 BCE

Second Triumvirate is formed: It comprises Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus. Octavian now a consul (at 19!), because he had threatened Rome and the senate with the forces that he had raised to fight at Mutina. 

43/42 BCE

Proscriptions under the Second Triumvirate: those on the proscription list are free to be killed, and their property is confiscated. Among the dead is Cicero (remember his scathing Philippics against Antony).   

October 42 BCE

Battle of Philippi: Actually two battles- Antony/Octavian v. Cassius/Brutus. Victory for Antony and Octavian (although Antony is very much primarily responsible for it). Antony stays in the eastern part of the empire afterwards; Octavian goes back to Italy to settle veterans who had been promised land. This results in land confiscations. 

41-40 BCE

Perusine War: the forces of Octavian lay siege to Perusia, which had rebelled under Antony’s wife Fulvia and brother Lucius Antony. A brutal victory for Octavian. 

40 BCE

Pact of Brundisium: the Second Triumvirate is affirmed, and Antony marries Octavian’s sister Octavia. But Antony had already begun an affair with the Egyptian Cleopatra. Antony never sees Rome again after October, 39. 

36 BCE

Battle of Naulochus (Sicily): the forces of Octavian (led by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa) defeat the forces of Sextus Pompey, Pompey’s son, in a naval battle. Octavian forces Pompey to surrender to himself after Lepidus had demanded that Pompey surrender to him; Octavian also has Lepidus’ troops come over to him. Lepidus goes into exile, in which he lives until a natural death in 12 BCE; the end of the Second Triumvirate. 

31 BCE

Battle of Actium: a culmination of increasing tensions in the always uneasy alliance between Octavian and Antony. A naval victory for Octavian’s forces (led by Agrippa). 

30 BCE

Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide. 

29 BCE

Augustus returns to Rome and celebrates a triple triumph. 

27 BCE

First Settlement: The name Augustus is conferred. A name of religious authority.  

• Augustus acquires the title of princeps, or first citizen. The idea is that he is first among equals. (Note that princeps had republican precedent, in the princeps senatus, the first member by precedence in the senate. Augustus himself is also princeps senatus.)

• Augustus is consul, though he will have a colleague; he also governs provinces, including Egypt, Gaul, and Spain, for ten years. He has proconsular authority over the western half of the empire and Syria. This means that he can command legions.

• Receives a golden shield on which are inscribed the words virtus, pietas, iustitia, and clementia (bravery, piety, justice, and clemency).

• Has a corona civica, or civic crown made of oak, and laurel branch placed over the door of his house on the Palatine Hill.

23 BCE

The Second Settlement: Augustus renounces the consulship, but acquires tribunician power (though he is not a tribune of the plebs). This means that his body is sacrosanct, and he can introduce and veto bills and convene the senate.

• Also granted powers of a censor: he can supervise public morals, evaluate laws, hold a census, and oversee membership in the senate.

• He acquires imperium, or ruling power/authority, within the city of Rome. He also has imperium proconsulare maius, imperium over all proconsuls: he can interfere in any province and override decisions of any governor. He is in control of the entire army. 

17 BCE

 The Secular Games: where the Carmen Saeculare, written by Horace, is performed. Held three years after the return of the Parthian standards, and one year after the passage of Augustus’ moral legislation. (When all of that legislation was enacted is a controversial topic, though.) 

14 CE

Augustus Dies

Possible (and eventual) Augustan Successors

• Nephew Marcellus (dies 23 BCE)

• Agrippa (marries his daughter Julia; dies 12 BCE)

• Grandsons Gaius and Lucius (Gaius dies in 4 CE, Lucius in 2 CE)

• Tiberius, the biological son of Livia, Augustus’ third wife. (ACTUAL SUCCESSOR)