of Anatolia. I know that Antony's friends resented my presence; they liked to 

 fool themselves into believing they were supporting Antony against Oetavian 

 rather than Egypt against Rome. But Antony knew who was paying the bills, 

 and he would not risk sending me away. From Ephesus we moved to Greece, 

 mooring our fleet in harbors along the west coast from Actium in the north to 

 Methone in the south. Had we invaded Italy at that time we might well have 

 triumphed. But we hesitated, waiting for Oetavian's forces to leave Italy so 

 that we might fight on neutral territory. 



The fateful moment finally arrived: Oetavian declared war on me. Our 

 omens were bad— a city swallowed by an earthquake, statues oozing blood, 

 the rampage of a two-headed serpent— and Antony was filled with dread. 

 With unexpected swiftness, Agrippa, Oetavian's admiral, took Methone. 

 Oetavian's ships were now able to work their way along the coast, attacking 

 our supply ships and targeting the dispersed fleet. With the campaign all but 

 lost, my sixty ships hoisted their sails, broke through Oetavian's line, and 

 sailed away at full speed. As we had planned, Antony abandoned his flagship 

 and chased after me. 



The people of Alexandria do not take kindly to defeat. Aware of that, 1 

 entered the harbor in triumph, with garlands draped over the front of my 

 boat and musicians playing victory songs. I determined to flee by way of the 

 Red Sea to India, hoping my beloved Ptolemy Caesar could rejoin me there. 

 To that end I ordered a small fleet to be transported overland. That plan had 

 to be abandoned, when my first boats were seized and burned by the hostile 

 Nabataean king. It was at this desperate time that I formed The Partners 

 in Death, a close-knit group of friends who chose to face the inevitable by 

 partying harder than ever. 



/tt /tier- 4at(t ( ^E>yy/;/ u/u/er dow6le attaek. Roman forces 

 to the west launched land and sea assaults, while Oetavian marched 

 across the Delta from the east to camp outside Alexandria. Antony challenged 

 Oetavian to man-to-man combat, but Oetavian refused to be lured. Finally, 

 Antony resolved to meet Oetavian in battle. On the eve before the encounter, 

 Antony's god Dionysos left him, passing with his entourage out of the city to 

 join Oetavian. 



At daybreak, Antony led his troops through the city gate while his fleet 

 sailed eastward to meet the Roman ships. To Antony's horror, his fleet 

 surrendered immediately, and his cavalry deserted. Although his infantry 

 remained loyal, it was a one-sided battle, and, defeated, Antony retreated into 

 Alexandria. Almost immediately, he heard a rumor that I had killed myself. 

 Devastated, he unbuckled his breastplate and asked his faithful slave Eros 

 to help him die. Eros drew his sword, but stabbed himself to death instead. 

 Antony then seized the sword and stabbed himself in the stomach. 



As he lay fatally wounded, my secretary brought him the news that I lived 

 after all. Weak from loss of blood, Antony was carried to my mausoleum, 

 where I had barricaded myself with my treasure. He was dragged up through a 

 window and died soon after, in my arms, just as Oetavian entered the city. 



I have sent him messages, but Oetavian will not hear me out. He is a cold 

 and calculating man who refuses to guarantee the lives of my children. My 

 spies tell me that I am soon to be taken to Rome, to be exhibited in the streets 

 in a public triumph, then throttled in a dark and slinking cell. That 1 cannot 

 allow. I shall seal a last letter to Oetavian, asking only to be buried w ith 

 Antony. I will bathe, and enjoy my last dinner. My message will be delivered. 

 Doubtless, Oetavian will try to stop me. But he will be loo late. Willi your 

 blessing, incorruptible Osiris. I will have started on my longest journey. 



Oetavian, Julius 

 Caesar's heir, who 

 defeated Cleopatra 

 and Antony and be- 

 came Rome's first 

 emperor, Augustus 



Joyce Tyldesley is an Egyp- 

 tologist with a long-standing 

 interest in the women, and in 

 particular the queens, of an- 

 cient Egypt. She has written 

 many books on ancient Egypt 

 both for adults and children; 

 her most recent is Cleopatra: 

 Last Queen of Egypt (Basic 

 Books, 2008). Tyldesley has 

 worked on archaeological ex- 

 cavations in Britain, Europe, 

 and Egypt. She is currently 

 a lecturer in Egyptology at 

 the University of Manches- 

 ter, where she teaches the 

 online Certificate Course in 

 Egyptology ; a fellow of the 

 Manchester Museum; and an 

 honorary research fellow of 

 the University of Liverpool. 

 Web links related to this article 

 can be found at 

 www.naturalhistorymag.com 



October 2008 naiurai history 47 



