Octavian Enters Alexandria: Egypt Falls to Rome
Octavian arrived in Alexandria and Cleopatra was already dead. She had killed herself three days earlier — asp or hairpin, the sources disagree. Mark Antony had done the same just before. Octavian's real problem wasn't mourning, it was treasure. Egypt's grain fed the whole empire. Its gold funded everything. He renamed himself Augustus, kept the Egyptian gods in their temples, and made the whole country his personal property. Not Rome's. His. That one decision funded Roman dominance for generations.
August 1, 30
1996 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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