Dio's Rome, Volume 3: An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During The Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English FormCassius Dio Cocceianus
History
Dio's Rome, Volume 3: An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During The Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English Form
Cassius Dio Cocceianus
Rome -- History
[-1-] Such was the naval battle which occurred between them on the second
of September. I have not elsewhere used a like expression, not being in
the habit of giving precise dates, but I do it here because then for
the first time Caesar alone held the entire power. Consequently the
enumeration of the years of his supremacy starts from precisely that day.
And before it had gone he set up as an offering to Apollo of Actium a
trireme, a four-banked ship, and so on up to one of ten banks, from the
captive vessels; and he built a larger temple. He also instituted a
quinquennial musical and gymnastic contest involving horseracing,--a
"sacred" festival, as they call all which include distribution of
food,--and entitled it Actia. Further, by gathering some settlers and
ousting others who dwelt nearby from their homes, he founded a city on
the site of the camp and named it Nicopolis.[67] On the spot where he
had had his tent he laid a foundation of square stones, and put there a
shrine of Apollo open to the sky, adorning it with the captured beaks.
But this was done later. At the time he despatched one division of the
ships to pursue Antony and Cleopatra; so these followed in their wake,
but as it seemed impossible to overtake the fugitives they returned. With
his remaining vessels he took the enemy's ramparts, where no one opposed
him because of small numbers, and then overtook and without a battle got
possession of the other army which was retreating into Macedonia. Various
important contingents had already made their escape, the Romans to Antony
and the rest of the allies to their homes. The latter moreover evinced
no further hostility to Caesar, but both they and all the peoples who had
formerly belonged to Rome remained quiet, and some at once and others
later made terms. Caesar now proceeded to teach the cities a lesson
by levying money and taking away the remnant of authority over their
citizens that they possessed in their assemblies. From all the potentates
and kings, save Amyntas and Archelaus, he took all the lands that they
had received from Antony. Philopator son of Tarcondimotus, Lycomedes
ruler in a portion of Cappadocian Pontus, and Alexander the brother of
Iamblichus he even removed from their principalities. The last named,
because he had secured his appointment as a reward for accusing the
conqueror, he placed in his triumphal procession and afterward killed.
The kingdom of Lycomedes he gave to one Medeus, because the latter had
previous to the naval engagement detached the Mysians in Asia from Antony
and with them had waged war upon such as followed Antony's fortunes. The
people of Cydonea and Lampea he set free, because they had rendered him
some assistance, and he helped the Lampeans found anew their city, from
which they had been uprooted. As for the senators and knights and other
prominent men who had been active in Antony's cause, he imposed fines
upon many of them, executed many of them, and some he spared entirely.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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