<Articles>The Battle of Actium : A Reconsideration

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  • <論説>アクティウムの海戦再考
  • アクティウムの海戦再考
  • アクティウム ノ カイセン サイコウ

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The true history of Antony and Cleopatra is gone beyond recall; ancient writers, as well as modern historians, had little sympathy for the defeated. However, as for the Battle of Actium, a few fragmentary facts can be discriminated from the fabricated version of victors, which give us clue to the problem. In this article, therefore, I start from examining the contemporary evidences about Actium, to make it clear why and how the war broke out. Octavian made war upon Cleopatra, not upon Antony, i.e. Rome fought against Alexandria. Then, Actium was really not so great a battle, but was rather a fiction of the victor's side. The intention of Antony and Cleopatra, I think, was an economic blockade of Italy. They must have supposed, by shutting up Italy by sea, Rome would soon fall into disorder; because Italy had to import its corn, and Octavian's war chest was scarce. But contrary to their expectation, Italy and the western provinces united under Octavian, moreover, their dull operations and the clever propaganda of enemies deprived Antony's troops of their fight. It is my object in this article, to point out an economic factor as one cause of this war. The balance of trade between Rome and Alexandria was always against Rome. A third of the annual corn's supply of Rome came from Egypt; and the need for oriental commodities, especially goods from Arabia and India, must have increased through the 1st century B. C. With development of sea-route trade on the Indian Ocean, the balance of trade must have gone still worse to Rome. Here I see the background of Actium, the ambition of Rome to annex Egypt, which was the then most important country in the Mediterranean world.

Journal

  • 史林

    史林 60 (5), 690-720, 1977-09-01

    THE SHIGAKU KENKYUKAI (The Society of Historical Research), Kyoto University

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